Please Don't Forget Me
by LastTimelordChild
Summary: "I'm sorry he's gone..." "What do you mean he's gone?"
1. If only you kept your promise

_**Hey everyone! Here's a new Fraxus Fic for you all! I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to read and review!**_

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" _I still don't think it's a good idea that you're going on this mission alone Freed!" Evergreen protested. She crossed her arms over her chest and a pout formed on her lips._

 _Shaking his head with a small laugh he reached out and patted her shoulder._

" _I'm not going to be alone. The twin dragon slayers will be accompanying me on the mission." He tried to ease the other woman's worries but it seem to only put her on further edge. Looking past his shoulder, she threw a glare at the two close friends who were already boarding the train._

 _Freed rolled his eyes and turned around, catching a fleeting glance of Sting and Rouge._

 _In all honesty he didn't want to go on the mission with the two men. It wasn't that he had anything against them, it was that he hadn't been on a mission with other mages, beside the Thunder Legion, in a really long time. The thought of having to go with two strangers was unsettling at best, but with the few words he had shared with the Shadow Dragon, he believed that he would be able to work rather well with them._

 _Shaking her head in defiance, she let out an annoyed gasp and said. "I don't care! I just don't have a good feeling about this!" She argued._

 _Following her words there was a loud laugh and soon an arm was thrown over her shoulder._

" _Ever baby! You don't have to worry about anything! Our Captain here is going to all right and dandy! I'm sure he's going to be okay!" Letting his tongue fall out of his mouth. Bickslow smiled at his two comrades._

 _With the sudden appearance of the tall man, the air around the trio was put at ease and all they had to do was say their farewells, but that feeling of unease was still something that was making Ever's skin crawl._

" _Oi, Freed! You're heading out already?" A loud and rough voice called out from down the station._

 _All three wizards turned around at the sound of the voice._

 _Laxus walked towards them with long strides, his coat catching wind behind him giving the illusion of a cape._

 _A light blush formed on Freed's cheeks and a funny feeling made it very hard to breath._

" _Well hello Laxus! I didn't think you would be here to see our Captain off!" Ever spoke up first and for some reason a knowing smirked formed on her pink lips. Letting her arms fall from her chest she rested them on her waist._

 _Laxus only rolled his eyes and let his attention fall on the Rune Mage._

 _The sudden eye contact had the blush on Freed's cheeks darken and in a fit of nerves he started to fiddle with the handle of his reaper._

" _Hello Laxus." He managed to say, surprisingly his voice was strong over all the commotion going on in the station. The tone itself a good mask for his true emotions. Letting an easy smile form on his lips he looked up at his god._

" _So you're really leaving them?" He questioned. His brow was raised in curiosity and his eyes then moved to look at the train with disdain. "Didn't think that you would have been okay with leaving with some two strangers." He added as an afterthought._

 _Evergreen who had moved to Laxus' side nodded in agreement. The action only made the corner of Freed's eye twitch with annoyance._

 _Taking a deep breath he bent forward and picked up his travel bag. "If I had a say as to who would have gone on the mission with Sting and Rouge, it would not have been me. However, the mission that they took on required the magic of a Rune Mage and Sabretooth lacks strong wizards in that regard. Also you heard what the Master said, this is a good way to strengthen our bond as guilds." Hoping that his small outburst was enough to calm his friends, he turned around and walked towards the train._

 _Why were they so dead set on not letting him leave on the mission, it was like any other one. He didn't see how this one would have been so different._

" _See what you both did? You made Freed baby sad and now he won't want to say good bye!" Bickslow cried in desperation. His dolls floated around his head and they cried with him. "Come back! Come back!" They said._

 _Laxus was still in a bit of shock that Freed had gotten so offended and was so suddenly leaving without saying good bye. He wasn't going to have any of that and he pushed passed Ever and Bicks._

 _He reached out for the smaller man and made a grab for his wrist. For a small moment it seemed that the world stopped for both men and the strange feeling was something that made fear blossom in their chest._

 _Freed's coat had rode up his arm and the soft skin of his wrist was exposed. The moment that Laxus had touched his sensitive skin, it felt like he was being burned by a thousand suns._

 _Pulling back so roughly it was like the mere touch truly had burned him._

 _Clearing his throat Laxus took a few steps back and said. "At least give us a proper goodbye."_

 _Widening his eyes in surprise he saw a flash of vulnerability cross Laxus' face, at that same moment he saw the ten year old boy that he had met years before. His team didn't want him to go and the thought was something that had his heart growing with love. Of course they would miss him when he was gone, they were family._

 _Leaving his luggage inside the train, he walked off the platform and rushed to his team's side, Laxus close behind._

 _Meeting each other half way, Ever was the first to open her arms wide and take Freed into a tight embrace. Bickslow let out a loud sob and moved around the pair to hug the Rune Mage from the back. Laxus just stood there with a rare smile on his face. Raising a hand he placed it on top of Freed's head and ruffled his green locks. The act earned him a rosy blush._

" _Make sure that you come back safe baby!" Bicks begged._

" _He's right! We would all be lost without our Captain!" Evergreen added, she smiled brightly at the greenett and leaned over to give him a light kiss on the cheek._

" _Stop pestering him, he needs to go!" Laxus demanded_

 _Rolling his eyes he pulled away from the tight embrace and began to walk back to the train._

 _A man popped his head out of the train and yelled out that he only had two minutes before it would leave without him._

 _Taking a deep breath he gave his team a smile and let his eyes linger one each one of them. He felt like he wasn't going to see them for a very long time, it was as if it was his last time to say whatever he needed to, but the feeling was soon pushed away and he just got on the train and said._

" _I'll be back soon, I promise! Make sure you don't miss me too much while I'm gone!"_

 _By the end of his goodbye, the train was moving and its engine roared, Freed had to scream just so his voice could be heard. Luckily the people he was trying to talk to, heard every word and they were waving back widely as he began to speed down the track._

* * *

 **One Month Later…**

The air around the guild was tense, something that was very strange for the Fairies.

Suddenly the door to the Master's office flew open and coming out of it was an enraged Dragon Slayer.

"Damn it old man! How the hell don't you know what happen to them?" He roared.

His uncontrolled anger was starting to take a toll on his magic and everyone could see electricity being drained from the lights and dark clouds forming above the guild, the promise of lightning something that they all knew would happen within moments.

Close being Laxus Dreyar was his grandfather, a shadow was over his head and it was obvious that he too was severely affected with the lack of information he was able to gather from Sabretooth.

"My boy, if I had known where Freed was, do you believe I would hold that from you?" His voice was deadly calm and it had Laxus stopping dead in his tracks. Like moths to a flame, Evergreen and Bickslow were at his side staring down at the older man.

"He's been missing for an entire month and all we've done is sit back and just wait for any form of news!" Ever pushed passed Laxus and tears made her eyes shine. "At least let us go and look for him!"

Before anyone could say anything, the doors to the guild hall slowly opened. They sound of the creaking hinges echoing throughout the room and the sudden invasion of light blinded the members of Fairy Tail.

Hoped flared up in the Thunder Legion and all three ran to the door, hoping that the person who was walking through their doors was their Captain.

But when they were finally able to register who were the newcomers were, their hearts dropped.

Sting and Rouge were standing under the door way with their heads bowed and a bundle of tattered clothing in their hands. A broken reaper sat on top of the rags.

"Where's Freed?" Laxus whispered.

The guild gasped in unison as they saw despair and _fear_ form on the great Lightning Dragon's face. Bickslow was at a loss for words and the only thing he could do was stare at the broken blade. Ever was the first to move and she slowly reached out for the ruined piece of cloth. With further inspection, she saw familiar red fabric. Running her fingers over the coat's golden buttons, tears gathered in her eyes and soon slid down her cheeks.

Laxus could smell who the coat belonged to, but he didn't want to face the truth so soon.

"He's gone…" Sting choked out.

Laxus took a sharp breath and looked down at the two twin Dragons.

"What the hell do you mean by gone?" He questioned, his voice was harsh and cold. Not a hit of emotion was heard through the tone of his voice, but the menacing stare he shot at Sting and Rouge left no room for beating around the bush.

Swallowing back guilt Rogue finally found his voice to speak.

"When we went to the mansion that needed our help. They had this shack at the very end of their property. For some reason it was surrounded by runes. We went to go check it out and Freed was able to take down the wards in minutes. It was way too easy, we thought it would have taken us hours just to get through them." His hands turn to fists and his nails dug into the soft flesh of his palm.

"While we were walking back to the mansion to get our reward, Sting and I smelled something strange…" Rouge's voice began to shrink back to nothing and Laxus had a good part of his mind set on just tearing the blonde and his partner to shreds.

"It was a trap, we were being followed by a Dark Guild and they attacked us. We were able to take most of them out but there were too many and we had to run. Luckily there was a tree line behind the shack that we used as cover." It was Sting who started to talk. He was a bit more emotional about the entire ordeal.

To Sting and Rouge, Freed had been a part of their team, even if it was just supposed to be for a short time. To them being in a team meant that they had each other back, making sure that nothing happen to one another. Yet that was the one thing that they didn't do. They weren't there to make sure that Freed was alright. Because of them he was most likely dead.

"The farther we ran into the woods, the more dark wizards seem to appear. We don't know what the hell was happening and we knew at that moment we had no chance in making it out alive." The memory was fresh in Sting's mind and it felt as if it was happen right before him.

At this point the guild had grown silent a feeling of grief making a home in all the mage's heart. They had lost one of their own.

Makarov slowly walked up to the group of wizards by the door way. A look of despair and utter sadness made the man look far older than he already was. With a grave voice he spoke.

"And why is it that you did not suffer the same fate as our Freed?" Behind the words there was an unspoken judgement passed over the two Dragon Slayers. It almost seem to mean.

 _Why are you here and he's not?_

Rouge bowed his head in the presence of the master of Fairy Tail more out of habit than respect, he was forced to do that when his own guild was under different control. "Knowing that we were surrounded, he cast a strange spell and turned us both into runes. He said that he would be able to handle the bandits on his own and then we disappeared only to end up back at the Inn that we were staying at."

Laxus and his two close friends had not said a single word during the entire time.

Bickslow was in a state of shock, Ever was trying to fight back her tears, and Laxus was angry.

"By the time we were able to go back to the mansion, it was completely disserted and his scent had disappeared. There was nothing that we could do…" Sting spoke for both him and his best friend, the last words he spoke hung in the air with think tension.

Those simple words were all Laxus needed before he snapped.

His eyes glazed over and soon his magical energy was coming off him in waves of golden light. The people close to him took a few steps back in fear and his murderous gaze was fixed on only two individuals.

"There was nothing you could do?" He said menacingly. "I just lost my best friend, my family. And all you can say was that there was nothing left to be done." His voice was a low rumble of emotions, with every word spoken you could hear the emotions that they brought up in the Lightning Mage.

"Because of you Freed's dead…" He said as a matter of fact.

He was out for blood and the guild knew this.

If they didn't stop Laxus from doing something drastic, then someone was going to get hurt and it wasn't going to be him.

A flash of golden light blinded the entire guild for a short moment. Suddenly a giant hand had Laxus encased in a makeshift cage. A mental damn broke inside of the Laxus and he roared in pure rage.

"Let me go!" He screamed. His eyes had turned completely white with rage. Lightning covered his body and it was evident in the way that his muscles began to grow that he was going into Dragon Mode. Scales formed on his body and it was hard to miss the look of pain Makarov wore as his hand was burned by his grandson's magic.

"I'm going to rip them to fucking shreds!" Laxus threaten.

Not a single person moved to try and intervene. Some of them thought it was fair that Laxus be set lose on them. An eye for an eye they thought.

"Bickslow, take them outside!" Erza shouted over the roaring of the lightning dragon.

She quickly reequipped to her Lighting Empress Armor and stood between Laxus and the door. His eyes landed on her and a look of betrayal formed on his face. His face fell and his magic started to die down. "They killed Freed, and you're ready to fight _me_?" Laxus said in disbelief.

When reality finally dawned over him, his body grew limp and the only support he had was the old man's hand wrapped around him.

Bickslow left the guild with a lingering glance. Taking Sting and Rouge by the elbows he led them out of Fairy Tail.


	2. You don't know you care until they leave

_**A/N: Chapter three! Hey everybody! I hope you like this chapter! It was rather hard to write Laxus a bit more emotional than he is in canon so it would be amazing if you guys would tell me what you think! Was he in character? Did you like this chapter? Please take the time to review!**_

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It had been weeks since they had gotten the bad news, but that didn't stop them from going back to the town that Freed had been and look for him.

"Freed!" Evergreen screamed. She pushed passed thick brush and low hanging branches. A sweat broke out on her brow and with the back of her hand she wiped it away. A feeling of helplessness started to creep up on her as she got no response to her call.

Laxus sniffed the air for any sign of Freed's scent. When all he got was that of his fellow guild mates, he had to fight back the urge to punch something in frustration. There was a slight hope that the Rune Mage was still alive because they hadn't found his body, but it was starting to look like a lost cause. Not that it mattered to the man, he was going to search for Freed for as long as it took.

Bickslow, on his dolls, flew through the sky to search from above. However all he was able to see was an old tail and the random animal that would scurry through the forest floor. "Alright babies I think that it would be good if we split up and cover more ground!" He said to his dolls. With them all in agreement they flew in different directions. Leaving only one behind, which was the one that Bicks balanced on with practiced ease.

"Freed! Where are you!?" He called out.

For days afterwards many members of Fairy Tail searched for the man. Some going through the town and asking the people who lived there if they had seen him. Others going through the woods that he was last seen in by the twin Dragons.

But sadly they didn't find a scrap of evidence. It was as if he had vanished into thin air. They lost hope and went home with broken spirits.

 _ **Two and a half months later.**_

Laxus slowly moved through his house, gathering the things that he needed.

Looking at his old grandfather clock he saw as the hands began to tick by. It was about time that Evergreen and Bickslow showed up.

As if on cue, there was a knock at his door.

A wave of emotions crashed over him and he had to fight the feeling of his knees growing weak. Moving to gather the white roses on his kitchen table he finally made it to the door. Opening it wide he saw his two team mates covered in black and dark cloud hanging over their heads.

They didn't say a single word. The only thing they did was wait for the blonde to close the door and soon they were walking down the streets to the Cathedral in the center of town. A feeling of pure pain and sadness made all their throats dry and tight. The use of their voices ripped from them. Evergreen was too weak in the knees and Bickslow was by her side his arms wrapped around her shoulders in a supportive embrace.

Laxus kept his head down and he felt a drop of rain hit the back of his neck.

Not moving to wipe it away he just kept walking. With trembling hands he tried his best to keep the roses from falling, their thorns pressing into the calloused skin of his palm.

" _I'll be back soon…"_ Freed had said.

At that moment in time Laxus thought it was true, he thought that he was going to see his best friend again in just a few days. But that wasn't what happened. He said that he would always be by his side, never once wavering in his loyalty, yet somehow he was able to get out of his promise he had made years ago. Leaving Laxus behind with an ache in his chest.

Never once did it cross his mind that he might miss the Rune Mage if something were to happen. Freed was just always a presence in his life and therefore something that couldn't be taken from him. Now that he knew that he would never see those bright blue eyes stare up at him with a light of pride and loyalty he yearned to catch one last glance of his Captain's smiling face.

Laxus didn't know why, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that told him he should have done more on Freed's departure. He should have said something, but he couldn't figure out what it was. The only thing he knew was that when he thought about it, it always left a feeling of regret and longing.

Those were the only things he could feel, everything else to him sort of numbed the moment they gave up looking for Freed.

The thing that was most important to him was gone and he didn't know what to do. He was never a man who delved in his emotions, finding that it was easier to stay behind a mask of indifference. Never truly sorting out what he felt for anyone who was close to him, thinking that in the end they would just leave. Freed was an exception to that, he was always by Laxus' side no matter what. The moment that Laxus realized how far his devotion would go, it was when he had tried to take the guild by force. Even when Freed was forced to fight his own friends, not once did he try and leave the Lightning Dragon's side.

" _I will following into the darkest pits of hell."_

The words rang through Laxus' mind and then he came to the sudden conclusion.

He would have done the same thing.

"Laxus we're here…"

A soft voice made him lose his train of thought and he turned his head to see Evergreen with her eyes looking at the group of people beginning to gather at the cemetery behind the church.

Tears gathered in her eyes and she took a step back, breaking from her embrace with Bickslow.

Her shoulders began to shake and she shook her head in denial.

"This can't be happening! Freed is not dead! He can't be!" Her eyes grew wide and shining tears fell from her eyes.

Bickslow looked at her with sympathy and moved to wrap his arms around her trembling frame.

Raising a hand he moved it to stroke the back of her head. "Shh, it's okay baby. We're going to get through this together…" His voice was so soft that for a moment Laxus was stunned to see that the Sprit Mage was capable of such a thing.

But his heart tighten as he saw Evergreen break down.

Reaching out he placed a hand on her shoulder and looked down at the distressed woman.

"Evergreen you have to be strong." It was all it took for her to get her emotions back under control and wiping at her wet face.

Once again the trio began to walk, but with slower steps. As if just taking as much time as they wanted could change what awaited for them.

Passing the gates the large group of people in the cemetery turned around and at the sight of the Thunder Legion, moved back to create a path for the mages.

At the end of the path was a casket, the wood painted a beautiful silver. The lid had been closed as there was no body to put in it. All the things inside had been small tokens. Flowers and pictures. In the center of it was a tattered red coat and a broken reaper.

Laxus couldn't find it in him to put anything in the casket because he had nothing to give. The only thing he could find that would hold any meaning to Freed was a picture of him and the Thunder Legion on their first mission. Laxus figured out that he didn't want to give that up so easily, so he was selfish and kept the small picture.

He never thought to ask what his other two friends deemed worthy to put into the casket, it wasn't his business.

Moving closer to the silver box, Evergreen pushed passed him and placed a small flower on top of the lid. She kissed the pad of her fingers and then pressed them against the cold painted wood. More tears gathered in her eyes but they did not fall. She fought the onslaught of emotions and pushed herself away.

Without a moment of hesitation Elfman broke from the crown and rushed to her side. Taking her into her arms he leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of her head.

Bickslow didn't even move, a sad smile was on his face and he whispered. "It was good knowing you Freed. God you were the best thing to happen to me. I'm going to miss you brother." At the end his voice cracked and a small tear slid down his cheek. His eyes were covered by his mask and so no one could see as he tightly shut them.

Laxus just stood there staring blankly at the casket, a cold feeling seeping into his bones. It was as if a tether holding him to the earth had been cut and now he was just floating aimlessly though the air. Tears prickled at the back of his eyes, but they just wouldn't fall.

The sound of steps approaching him was the only warning he had until a warm hand rested on his arm. Looking down he saw his grandfather staring grimly at the hole in the ground.

"It's going to be alright my boy…" He said.

The sudden statement had Laxus widen his eyes in surprise and then he felt another lone drop of rain hit the top of his head.

Suddenly those simple words made the situation feel realer then it had moments ago.

" _I lost Freed!"_

His knees buckled underneath him and he crashed to the ground. He tightened his hold on the roses he held and soon the thorns pierced his flesh. Bright red blood dripped from his fingers and stained the green grass under him. His eyes were wide and helpless and then he noticed that he was crying, tears flowing down his cheeks in a constant stream wetting his face.

The heavens finally opened up and they too began to cry, as if they had just lost one of their angels, and maybe they did?

"Come back." He whispered softly, his voice small and broken. "Freed stop being an idiot and come back."

The crowd behind him (all Fairy Tail Members) let their own tears fall. Losing one of their own was nothing that they had wished to experience again, but it seemed that fate was not going to be kind to the guild.

All raised their arms in one last salute to their fallen comrade, friend, and family member.

A moment of silence passed and the only sound was the rain hitting the casket.

Laxus felt his magical energy begin too slowly drain, moving his head up he saw two lacrimas begin to glow white. Lowering the casket down into the earth, little particles of all different colors floated through the air and he could only guess that it was the rest of the guilds magic too. The lacrimas using it to power up. It was like they were all given the chance to help Freed one last time, just like he had done so many times in the past.

As it got lower, Laxus could see the tombstone that would stand as a memorial for Freed.

 _ **Freed Justine**_

 _ **A strong wizard, a member of Fairy Tail**_

 _ **And most importantly, family**_

Moments later someone moved up beside him and presented him with a shovel.

Looking up he saw Natsu hold it out to him. A look of sympathy in his dark eyes.

"It's only right." He said.

Taking a deep breath he rose to his feet and took the gardening tool from his fellow Dragon Slayer.

He walked to the edge of the grave and looked down. The tears staining his face had been washed with the help of the pouring rain. Seeing the white roses in his hand, he stretched out his arm over the grave and let the flowers drop.

When he heard the soft thud he moved over to the pile of dirt and stabbed the shovel through the wet earth. Scooping up a large amount he threw it on the casket six feet below.

It felt like at that moment he had just said his last good bye.

Turning around he saw Bickslow move up to take his turn, Evergreen close behind.

Slowly as the grave began to fill up, the feeling of numbness began to grow.

Evergreen moved to his side and her small hand took a firm hold of his own. Bickslow came up behind him and wrapped his long arm around Laxus' broad shoulders.

They moved closer to one another in an act of comfort as they watched the last bit of dirt thrown over Freed's grave.

" _Make sure that you don't miss me too much while I'm gone!"_ Freed had said.

Laxus let a cold stare form on his scarred face and with a rough voice he spoke.

"Our Captain gave us an order before he left, I think we need to make sure that we see it through."

Evergreen let a heart wrenching sob pass her lips and Laxus without a moment of a doubt pulled her hard against his chest. Her hands fisted the fabric of his shirt and buried her face against it. Bickslow took off his mask and finally let his eyes land on the tomb stone.

People began to leave the cemetery. Glances of pain and grief were thrown their way, but the trio paid them no mind.

They had just lost one of most important people in their lives, they had they right to grieve.


	3. When it calls me home

_**Hey everyone! I hope you like this new chapter of "Please Don't Forget Me." Leave me a review on what you thought. Also I have a question to the readers. "What do you want to see in this story?" "How do you want it to unfold?" Go ahead and Fav/Follow if you want and don't forget to leave a review!**_

* * *

 _ **Five years later.**_

"Evergreen, try and convince Laxus to take a mission." Mirajane pleaded. Her eyes were wide with worry as she cleaned a cup behind the bar.

The woman in question let a frown form on her pink lips. Casting a side glance, she saw Laxus slowly raise a mug of beer to his mouth. The all-knowing blush of alcohol present on his cheeks as the liquor's affects started to make themselves known.

Biting her bottom lip she said. "Mira you know he won't take a job. He likes to stay in town this time of year." As she thought back to the past, the urge to find the burn of alcohol running down her own throat was strong. Just something that could dull the ache that formed in her chest whenever she thought back five years.

Running her fingers through her thick brown hair, she let out a sigh. "He's not going to listen to me. We haven't had a real conversation in a very long time." Her voice was barely above a whisper, as if she was afraid of the man sitting a few seats away to hear her.

Thinking that she had lost yet another friend was something that made her chest hurt and eyes sting with tears.

Soon after Freed's funeral, the Thunder Legion slowly fell apart. Both Ever and Bicks were taking solo jobs. Laxus for a long time had locked himself in his house. Not wanting to deal with anything from the outside world.

They went their own ways, and with their Captain no longer there to keep them together as a team. They began to drift apart, so far that the world had not seem the might of the Thunder Legion in over four years.

"Something tells me that right now is a good time to start." Mira tried to argue.

Ever looked up at the S Class wizard and then turned her head to look at Laxus, who was still entertained by his almost finished cup of beer. It broke her heart to see him in such a state, and she knew that if Freed was still around then he would had wanted her to get up and go talk to him. Even if only to ask for his wellbeing.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded her head in agreement and pushed herself up from the bar stool.

Making sure that she didn't give herself time to second guess the situation. She was at Laxus' side within moments. When she was in arm's reach she could smell the liquor in the air around the blonde. Her nose scrunched up in disgust.

"Laxus?" She asked quietly. Hesitation laced through the single word.

The man in question had a hard time picking out his ex-teammates voice through his drunken haze.

Not feeling in the mood to try and remotely sober up, he just gives her a grunt as a form of response.

Signing in early defeat Evergreen let her hand fall on his broad shoulder. "I know you're not feeling well today and haven't been doing well these last few days. But maybe you can take a mission and that can take your mind of things." Moving closer she ducked her head in attempts to get Laxus to look at her. When he did she smiled and tightened her grip on his shoulder.

For a moment the haze over his eyes disappears and he looked at her with wide eyes, as if it was the first time he'd seen her in a long while.

" _Laxus why don't you take a mission, it'll make you feel better!"_ A familiar voice called out in his head.

Blinking away the hallucination of green hair and dark blue eyes. He pushes away his drink, not trusting it anymore. "You're right, I think getting out of town would be a good thing for me right now." He mumbled.

At the sound of his agreement Ever smiled in relief and took a step back to the give the large man some room. "Choose a mission and come back in the morning when you're well rested." _And not drunk off your ass._ She wanted to add.

In the past she would have said that, but it felt as if she lost the right to, the familiarity between them gone.

Without another word she saw him stumble off to the second floor of the guild.

 _At least I know he's going to be fine._

Moving back to her seat at the bar, she ordered an ice tea and began a small conversation with Mira.

* * *

As the train came to a halt, Alexander looked out his window. The large crowd making him dread walking outside.

Swallowing back his nerves he gathered his bag and swung it over his shoulder. For some odd reason the green mark on his hand began to itch.

He pushed through the occupants of the train and he was finally able to make it outside and take in some fresh air. After hours of sitting, it was a nice feeling when the wind blew in his face. Taking a deep breath, he wrapped his hands around the strap of his bag and started to walk out of the station. However as he moved he did not see the woman with the scarlet hair walk past him, nor did he see the look of utter disbelief form on her face when she felt him walk by.

Turning suddenly on her heels she looked through the crowd, but it was too late. He had be lost in the sea of moving bodies.

Walking down the street, Alexander aimlessly moved through the large town absolutely lost. Luckily for him though, he was able to find a small vender selling fruit. Pulling out his wallet his eyes landed on a bright red apple and the idea of having something to eat was too tempting of an idea to pass up.

After getting the apple, he figured out that he could ask the old man working the stand a question.

"Um, sir? I was wondering if you can tell me where the Fairy Tail Guild would be." He asked.

Tucking a long strand of hair behind his ear, he saw the vender give him a strange look.

"It's in the center of town a few blocks north of the cathedral. Go that way, you can't miss it. It's a huge building with furniture usually flying out of it. Not a day goes by that a fight won't break out in there." The old man pointed left down the street and as he spoke Alexander noticed the small smile forming on his lips. The strange look he had completely gone.

Forming his own smile, Alex took a step back and bowed his head in gratitude. "Thank you very much."

He walked down the street he was told and took a bite of his apple. As he looked around he couldn't help let a feeling of familiarity hit him. Something strange settled over his heart and he could feel something tugging at his body, like some invisible string.

When he looked up he saw a girl with long blonde hair that almost reached the floor, her pretty pink dress moving with the wind.

Slowly she turned around and her big green eyes landed on him. Smiling brightly, she rose a hand and waved. "Welcome home!" She said. Suddenly the mark on his hand began to lightly burn, but the tug he had felt earlier was stronger than ever before. The sudden feeling had him taking a shaky step back. He looked down to see that the mark was glowing dimly. Alex knew that the small girl had something to do with it. He looked up hoping to see her still standing a few yards away but she had disappeared.

He looked around in confusion, but then it hit him. If he wanted answers he needed to go to Fairy Tail.

A look of determination lit up his dark blue eyes.

"I'm sick and tired of living without knowing a single thing." He growled.

The pull was so powerful at that point that he couldn't help but run down the street. Pushing past the crowd. It was as if he was racing to some unknown goal.

He ran past the church and caught sight of the cemetery behind it. A white rose was lying in the grass by one of the many tombstone. His skin broke out in goosebumps, and he had the sudden feeling of someone walking over his own grave.

Pushing the feeling away, Alex looked around and saw the place he was looking for.

In all its glory the Fairy Tail Guild stood right before him.

He stopped just a few feet from the guild. Then he noticed the fear that was starting to creep up within his heart. Taking a step back, he clutched his hands to his chest.

What was he scared for? Why did it feel like he was walking into a warzone? It felt like there was someone waiting for him past the guild doors. Someone very important to him, but his mind drew a blank when he tried to remember who it was.

A strong wind blew his long hair around his face and the strange feeling over his heart exploded into a warmth throughout his body. Like a leaf in a storm, he began to drift closer to the guild until his hands were pushing the doors slowly open.

The sound of yelling and fighting assaulted his ears and without him knowing a smile of fondness formed on his lips. Looking around, he hoped to find someone that could help him.

When his eyes landed on the bar, his heart stopped. A woman with long, thick brown hair sat with her back facing him. She rose a glass of tea to her lips and the feeling of familiarity hit him so hard that it was impossible to breathe. With shaking feet, he made his way to her. Making sure to keep his head down as to not be noticed.

When he was within arm's reach of the woman he reached out and softly tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me, Miss? I was hoping if you can help me?" His voice was low and just barely above a whisper. It was a surprise that she heard anything at all with the ruckus going on around them.

He saw her face turn cold and annoyance danced across her eyes. It seemed that she didn't want to be disturbed.

She turned her entire body on the bar stool and let her eyes land on Alexander. For a moment the world stood still as her eyes landed on his face. The look of annoyance disappeared in a flash and a look of utter disbelief made her eyes the size of frying pans.

Alex didn't notice the way that the entire guild grew quite, neither did he feel every single pair of eyes on him.

The light of the hall made the tears in the woman's eyes shine. She got off her seat and closed the small distance between them. Slowly, as if she was scared that Alex would vanish. She rose a hand and stroked his cheek. The other ran through his longer green hair.

The act itself had his dark blue eyes widen in shock.

" _Freed… You're alive!"_ She whimpered. Pulling him into a tight embrace she cried into his shoulder. Clinging to him for dear life.

So his real name was Freed.

* * *

Laxus stood looking at the S class request board with a black stare. The buzz of the beer in his blood had him swaying softly to the side. He knew that he wasn't going to take a mission on. All he was going to do was stay up in the second floor for the rest of the day and when it was time, he would go home.

He heard the door to the guild open and with it came a soft breeze.

The noise of the guild began to die down, until it was utterly quite. His mind began to go blank and his instincts kicked in. He took a deep breath of the air around him and his eyes widened.

 _That's impossible, how is his scent here? He's supposed to be dead!_ His mind screamed.

He must have been so drunk that he was making things up. His mind playing tricks on him.

Laxsu shook his head and tried to clear it of any thoughts regarding _him_. He just wanted to stop thinking for just a moment and make the always present pain in his chest go away, but no matter how much he drank. For the last five years he had just felt the pain in his chest and numb feeling in his bones.

Another soft wind and the scent was stronger than ever before.

He needed to get out of the guild, it was becoming too much. Turning on his heels he stormed to the railing of the second floor.

Laxus failed to notice the deafening silence that had fallen over the entire guild, but that only lasted a moment.

When he finally looked down into the hall the first thing that caught his attention was the long green hair. His body froze on the spot and he couldn't pull his eyes away.

 _Look at me!_ He begged. This had to be a dream. Laxus needed to see their face just to make sure. Tears burned at the back of his lids and desperation grew in his chest. As if the person across the guild heard his plea, they rose their head.

His body moved on its own accord, he didn't know he was walking down the stairs until his feet hit the final step.

It was Freed, he was alive!

Moving across the guild hall gave him enough time to figure out his emotions, but when he thought that he would just feel pure joy. A deep feeling of anger and betray flared up within him.

 _You left me all alone, when you promised that you would always be by my side. Where did you go? Was it me? Was I the reason you left? Am I not enough for you?_ His mind screamed. After five years of pain and loneliness, it seemed that Laxus didn't know what else to feel.

Freed took a step back and his eyes widen with fear. His shoulders began to shake and it looked like he was in the verge of a panic attack. Evergreen had moved off to the side her eyes glued on her Captain.

"Where were you?" Laxus demanded. A shadow settled over his face and his hands turned to fists. Moving closer to the frighten man.

Then as if something hit him in the gut, the air in his lungs vanished and when he looked at Freed. He thought back to when he was trying to take over the guild. His Captain had given him the same look right before he had almost killed him with his magic. The fear in his dark blue eyes was enough to snap Laxus out of whatever trance he was in.

"I-I…" Freed stuttered. His voice was weak and could barely be heard.

Guilt washed over Laxus, but when he finally was able to calm down, the reality of the situation hit him hard.

Just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming, he reached out to Freed. His large callused hand cupped the side of his face the other moved to stroke his hair.

"You're really here…" He whispered.

All his defensives crumbled to the ground and he closed the small space between them.

Wrapping his arms around Freed's shoulder he pulled him into a tight embrace. Burying his nose in his long hair, he took a deep breath and an all too familiar scent assaulted his senses and a sort of calm flowed through him. The pain in his heart that he had felt for the past five years began to slowly disappear.

Freed was in a state of shock and fear, this large and intimating man had walked up to him, a dark light in his stormy eyes. But when he first saw him walk down the stairs, his heart stopped and it was hard to breath.

There was a nagging thought at the back of his mind and he tried to figure out what it was. However there was one thing that somehow made it to the forefronts of his mind. This large blonde had such an imposing presence that it was like almost staring up at a god.

Yet this god like wizard was clinging to him, his shoulders shaking with unknown emotions.

A sense of obligation rose within him and Freed felt like he needed to reassure the bigger man that, yes he was truly there standing in the middle of the guild.

Slowly raising his arms that had been limp at his side, he wrapped them around the other's strong back. His hands grasped at the fabric of his purple shirt and he buried his face against his chest.

Tears burned at the back of eyes and Freed noticed that his heart was racing in his chest. The sound of his blood pumping in his ear made him momentarily death. In the arms of this stranger, Freed was finally able to feel something that he hadn't felt in a long time.

"I'm home…" He said to the Laxus softly.


	4. I don't even know if I believe

_**Hey everyone! I hope you like this new chapter of "Please Don't Forget Me." Go ahead and Fav/Follow if you want and don't forget to leave a review when you're done reading! Thank you for taking the time and reading my work! It means a lot!**_

* * *

The guild was in an uproar.

Tears were shed and the air rang with the sound of cheers.

Laxus had pulled away from Freed with a look of wonderment in his grey eyes and was soon pushed away by many other excited mages. A feeling of surrealism had him in a daze.

They pulled Freed in crushing hugs screaming about how happy they were that he was back.

There was so much going on around him that a small ball of panic started to grow inside him.

He didn't know who those people were, he didn't know what was going to happen the moment the commotion began to die down. His head was filled with confusion and fear. The air around him felt thinner and it was making him gasp for breath. No one seem to notice so they just continued to rush up to him, pulling and tugging at his arms that he had clasped against his chest.

He could feel his body start to shake as a tightness formed in his chest, a sweat broke out on his brow and the world around him blurred slightly.

Evergreen had tried to get to Freed's side on more than one occasion but no matter what she did, she was still pushed to the side. She looked over the crowd of wizards and saw Freed in the center looking like he was ready to pass out. What really stuck out to her though was the look of confusion that clouded his dark eyes. With more power and determination she pushed past her guild mates. Turning a few to stone on her way.

"Give him some room!" She screamed over the commotion. Her voice carried so much power that it was enough to have the guild growing silence. A feeling of apprehension made her slowly approach Freed. Who at this point was wide eye and frightful.

" _Excuse me, Miss? I was hoping if you can help me?"_

Why had he said that to her? He could have just simply said that he was back. Not made a joke of it. But _her_ Freed wouldn't have done that, he would have tapped her shoulder and smiled at her. Say that he was home and that he was sorry for the wait. This Freed had gone up to her and called her Miss, as it was the first time he was meeting her. What did he need help in? He had been a part of Fairy Tail for years, out of all the people she knew he would be the one to go _for_ help. Not only that, but he never embraced his fellow mages when they were running up to him.

One would think that after not seeing your family for five years that you would come back and be a bit excited about it. Not shaking in fear and on the edge of a panic attack.

"Freed? Do you know who I am?" Evergreen asked gently. She moved closer to the Rune Mage and noticed that his head hung low, his shoulders shook and he was furiously rubbing at his guild mark. The skin that was not painted was turning an angry red.

"Freed, tell me you know who I am…" This point her voice came out as a plea, and at the sound of her words, Freed's head snapped up.

He met her eyes and he could see a hopeful light behind her glasses. Freed was thinking of lying to her. Just so he didn't have to see that shine in her eyes vanish, but he couldn't do that. Not to her, it was a strange feeling, but he thought she deserved better than that.

Freed swallowed back the dryness in his throat and said softly. "I have no idea who any of you are."

The silence that had surrounded Fairy Tail had been buzzing with energy and excitement, but as soon as Freed opened him mouth and everyone understood what was happening. The silence changed quickly and the tension was thick in the air.

However in the back of the crowd no one noticed the look of shock and despair that crossed Laxus's face.

Something snapped inside the Lightning Dragon Slayer and he roughly made his way to the center of the crowd where Freed and Evergreen stood.

"What the hell do you mean that you don't remember who were are?" His voice was an all-out scream. The dark emotions that he had felt earlier had begun to resurface. Anger, frustration, and betrayal was making it hard for Laxus to think. "You just don't forget all the things we've gone through." Laxus didn't mean to let the last part slip, but when it did he closed his mouth quickly and his eyes grew wide.

Hopefully the guild was stupid enough to think that he meant the Thunder Legion as a whole.

Evergreen saw something dangerous flash across her friend's face and she stepped in front of Freed protectively.

"Laxus calm down." She warned.

Freed was shaking and taking a few steps back, his eyes were trained on the other man's face and there was something strange behind his dark blue eyes.

"She's right, it's not his fault that he has no memories of us." A soft and childlike voice rang through the guild and all heads turned to the bar where First Master Mavis sat. Her small dainty feet hanging off the counter. She let her attention fall to Freed who was staring at her with recognition.

"You were the girl I saw when I first came here." He said.

Mavis laughed and nodded. "That's right, I thought that it was time that one my children found their way back home." Freed let a small smile form on his lips. "Now Wendy why don't you see if you can do anything about his memory loss." She added soon after.

The girl in question had grown a lot over the last five years. Her hair was shorter and barley grazed her shoulders. Her body finally hitting puberty had filled out and gained curves. Not only that but her magic had become very powerful, something that could rival the Great Salamanders. If anyone could help Freed it was her.

The guild moved out of the way to give the girl room and she smiled her thanks. Reaching Freed her eyes lit up with pure joy and just like she had done minutes she gave him a sudden hug and said. "I am very glad that you're back Mr. Freed." Her gentle nature and soft voice was able to put the older man at ease, but there was still a feeling on unfamiliarity and unease. So it was no surprise that for a moment his body has become as stiff as a board.

Evergreen moved closer to her Captain and placed a hand on his shoulder, the act had him stiffening and bowing his head in discomfort. She pulled back with a look of hurt and just let her hand fall to her side, but that didn't stop her from staying close to him.

Laxus was able to control his emotions, but a fire of possessiveness burned in his chest as he saw the young Sky Maiden lace her fingers with Freed's and pull him towards the nearest table. Where she sat him down and pushed a few long strands behind his ear. Moving around the table he stayed close behind the trio and looked over Ever's shoulder.

Wendy took a step back and rose her arms so they could hover over Freed's head. "I'm going to see if I can find a way to unlock your memories. Usually when you hurt your head that can sometimes be a side effect."

Freed nodded. He bit his bottom lip out of nerves and braced himself for the unknown.

Taking a deep breath Wendy began to cast her magical energy around Freed's head.

Small sparkles floated above him creating a halo. His eyes fell and a warm feeling seeped into his body. He felt something start probe in his mind. Pushing through his thoughts and feeling from the past few hours. Then suddenly whatever was inside his head found a blockage.

A dull pain formed at the back of his head and he bit his lip harder.

Unknown to him Wendy had a look of confusion, her brows were scrunched together and they could see her muscles tense to try and pushed more magic out of her system.

Fairy Tail waited with baited breath, hoping that this was the thing that Freed needed to get his memories back.

The pain was getting stronger, the thing in his mind was pushing against the blockage with so much force that Freed could feel it inside his skull. It only grew in intensity, his nails dug into the soft flesh of his palm in an attempt to ward off the pain.

Evergreen saw the distress her friend was in, but she couldn't voice her worries in fear that she would be interrupting a very important breakthrough. However she did move closer to Freed and placed a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened at the contact, but she didn't pull away and only gave a firm squeeze. "You're doing great Freed, just a bit more."

Laxus was standing off to the side coiled like a spring, ready to jump if anything happen.

Freed's couldn't take the pain for much longer, it was as if someone was stabbing him in the back of the head with a red hot knife. He thought that he could somehow take it for just a few more seconds, but a scream of agony was ripped from his lips. His hands shot up and cradled his head. The floor underneath his feet started to spin and he felt acid rise at the back of throat.

"Freed?!" He heard Laxus scream.

Soon after strong arms wrapped around him and gave him a sense of stability.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Freed! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Wendy cried in guilt and rushed to Laxus and Freed. Hoping that she would be able to lessen the pain.

Laxus snapped his head in her direction and a low menacing growl was made deep from within his throat. "Get away from him!" He warned. As he spoked he pulled Freed closer to his chest without knowing it. At that moment he looked like a true Dragon protecting its treasure. The guild was taken back by his action and his response, but they just blamed it on the fact that Freed was Laxus closest friend and had suddenly appeared back from the dead.

Evergreen taking a similar stance as her former team mate, reached his side and gave Wendy a steady glare.

"It's alright Wendy, but I don't think it would be a good idea if we tried that again." Her voice was as cold as the stone her victims turned into, but when she saw the look of guild rack the younger girl's face. She felt pity on her and moved past Laxus, who was seeing if Freed was okay, and gave Wendy a small smile. "You tried and that's what matters. I know Freed is going to be okay so don't worry."

The guild was in a stun silence as they heard Freed mumbling words of reassurance to Laxus. It seemed that even with no traces of memory he still put it upon himself to try and keep the people around him from worrying too much about him. Even if in his eyes they were complete strangers.

A blush appeared on his cheeks when he noticed how close he was to Laxus and his heart started to race. Something strange stirred within him and in a futile attempt to stop whatever was happening to his body at that moment. He roughly pushed the large man away.

Laxus looked stunned at the sudden treatment and he would be lying if he said that he didn't feel a little bit hurt.

Freed let his bangs cover the majority of his face and just pushed Laxus far enough so that he could get up and walk towards Mavis. Who at this point was the only one Freed truly trusted. The pain in the back of his head had dulled somewhat, but it was still there making it hard to come up with anything solid to say to Ms. Wendy. On his way to the bar though he met her eyes and gave her a reassuring smile. Something that told her that he was okay and that he didn't blame her for the sudden outburst of pain

When he made it to the First Master's side, she reached out to him and took his hand (the one with the guild mark)

The moment she touched it, it began to dully glow. Her eyes fluttered shut and it seemed as if she was looking for something through the tattoo.

Freed couldn't help but noticed how cold her hands were.

He stood there not knowing what to do, so for a moment all he did was stand there and wait for when she was done.

Mavis let his hand slip through her grasp and she gave him an odd look.

"Your memories are gone." She stated calmly. "As if they were never there to begin with."

Fear creeped up on Freed and he took a shaky step back. His eyes grew wide and his skin grew pale. "What do you mean? Are you saying that I'm never going to remember who I am?"

He couldn't handle that, the entire reason why he made it to the guild was to try and figure out who he was. For the last five years he was living a fake life with a fake name and it was starting to take a toll on him. If he couldn't figure out who he was then there was no reason for him to stay in a place that was so unfamiliar.

"I don't think that's what she means at all my boy…"

Freed turn to the sound of the new voice and looked around until then it dawned over him that the voice sounded as if it was coming from closer to the floor. He looked down and saw a small old man with a big smile.

"It's such a blessing to have you back home Freed." He said.

His voice struck something in the young man and tears prickled at the back of his eyes. The fear that he had felt only moments before vanished and he was left with a warm feeling in his chest. Bowing his head in respect he felt a hand on top of his head.

The old man chuckled and said, "Seeing as you don't know who we are, it seems that we need to introduce ourselves. My name is Makarov and this is Fairy Tail." He opened his arms our wide and Freed was met with bright smiles from everyone. It took his my surprise how easily the guild could go from apprehension to glee in such a sort span of time.

"Now my Fairy, why not tell us what took you so long in coming home." Mavis was the one to speak and with the slight distraction the guild was able to take their seats and watch as Freed seemed to be getting ready to tell a rather interesting story.

Evergreen moved away from Wendy and took to stand right next to her Captain, Laxus doing the same thing.

The sudden question made Freed freeze. Swallowing back a bit of nerves he sat on the nearest stool and spoke.

"Because I had no reason to…"

* * *

 _ **Hello everyone! Taking you for making it to the end of this chapter of "Please Don't Forget Me." If you liked this story so far leave a comment down below and tell me what you think! Also Fav and Follow if you haven't all ready!**_

 _ ***kisses to all***_

 _ **I'll see you all in the next chapter!**_


	5. Maybe this can work

_**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I feel like it needed to end there so I can start getting into more of the plot points that are coming up and the build up to the Fraxus relationship. Also fair warning, there is going to be a little secret that you guys aren't going to know until the very end of this story, so just like Freed you can be like "WHAT THE FUCK!" It's going to be one of his memories, so I hope you guys really like that scene! Also, I need a way for Sting and Rouge to know that Freed is alive and all the other guilds too, because I know that they would have helped Fairy Tail in looking for him. So should I write about the Fantasia Parade, or have the guild just throw a huge party in Freed's honor? Don't forget to leave a Review and tell me what you think!**_

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Freed moved to sit on one of the bar stools and pulled his small bag close to his chest. Looking down he let his attention fall on his shoes and the piece of dirt stuck on the tip of his right foot. The air around him was filled with tension and apprehension. He had no idea where to start his story.

He didn't even remember how it started, let along be able to retell his life from the last five years. In his mind everything had bled into a blur and even when he thought to why he even decided to show up at Fairy Tail, it just wouldn't come up.

"Like I said I had no reason to come here because I didn't even know this placed existed until a year ago. I lived in a very remote village with a nice family so magic and guilds just never seemed to be the topic of conversation." His voice was apologetic and when he looked up his blue eyes were filled with guilt. They landed on the Master and the old man smiled reassuringly at him and with a small nod of his head, silently asked for Freed to continue.

He took a deep breath and looked out into the crowd of mages huddled close to him. Everyone on the edge of their seat. A few were standing looking at him as if he was some sort of impossible miracle, like they couldn't believe their eyes.

"I don't know how I ended up the way I did, but what I can recall is waking up in a bed with a splitting headache. A woman named Clare was standing over me with a wet cloth on my forehead. She told me to sleep so I did. I'm not sure for how long but I drifted in and out of consciousness. My body was sore and my head was throbbing." Just with the mere thought, Freed rose a hand and rubbed at the scar right underneath his bangs.

"When I was fully able to wake up, Clare was able to tell me all she knew. I was found near a river by her husband, my clothes were in tatters and there was so much blood that they didn't know I had green hair until they cleaned me off. She also said that I was supposed to have died by that river. I had lost a lot of blood, because it wasn't just my head that was injured, but my entire body as well. Cut and bruises covered me for weeks. I have no idea how I made it out of that alive, or how I even held on." Freed then looked down at the small green fairy painted on his hand and something deep down inside of his told him that it had something to do with his survival.

The sound of heels clicking on the wooden floor towards him had Freed's head snapping up.

Evergreen smiled at him and pointed at his hand. "It must have been your guild mark. When you have one it protects you from dying." She moved to the stool beside Freed and took a seat. Inching closer, she placed a hand on his shoulder and when he turned to look at her in a bit of shock. Ever only gave him a smile.

The simple act was enough to put him at ease and relax into her touch.

"They asked me what my name was. I told them that I didn't know. So that was when they came to the conclusion that I had lost all my memory. For a while all I did was rest and let Clare take care of me. As soon as I gather enough strength to stand I was ready to leave. I had been with them for around six months. In my mind I had over stayed my welcome. But the moment that I stepped foot outside. I had no idea where to go. I didn't know who I was, or what my name was. I had no home that I could remember. I couldn't leave."

Freed let his head fall again and a sad smile formed on his lips. Evergreen saw the pain on her Captain's face and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. Freed took strength from her comfort and rose his hand to hold onto hers.

"Clare new that I had no place to go, so she gave me a home and name. For the last five years Clare and Rin, her husband, called my Alexander. It didn't feel right at the time but I was able to get used to it." He laughed softly at the thought, he had lived under a fake name for a long time and now his so called family was expecting him to go back to what he was called before. Through all the commotion and the stress he had been put under, he had forgotten the name completely.

Master Makarov laughed with Freed and shook his head. "Well rest assured my boy that your real name is 'Freed Justine'."

Freed's eyes widen with astonishment and realized that he rather liked the name. Maybe it wouldn't be that hard to adjust, it was his real name after all.

Everyone in the guild hummed with agreement.

"So Freed, what made you come back? If you don't remember us, how did you find us?" A boy with pink hair had jumped from his seat and his head was tilted with curiosity. The white scarf he wore falling over his shoulder.

The stranger seemed familiar to Freed, and when they met one another's eyes. Freed couldn't help but see bright flames behind them.

Keeping his gaze on the rosette he spoke.

"At first I wasn't going to come, but as the years went on. There was a nagging feeling at the back of my mind. That I needed to be somewhere. See someone very important." With those last few words he was finally able to figure out who that 'very important' person was.

It was _Laxus_.

For some strange reason the moment he set eyes on the great man a warm feeling spread throughout his body. It was like an overwhelming joy, however mixed with that glee was a small seed of fear and the more Laxus seemed to act out, the more the seed grew. Also when Laxus had wrapped his arms around him for the second time, his heart started to race. His body began to heat up and something told him that he couldn't let himself be touched by the God like man. A secret he himself did not know was buried deep within his mind regarding Laxus.

Snapping himself out of his train of thought, he continued on with his explanation.

"Clare somehow knew it was time for me to leave, so she told me about this mark on my hand and that it belong to the strongest wizarding guild in all of Fiore. She told me to run back home. That my family might be missing me terribly." He let go of Evergreen's hand to look down once again at his guild mark.

A moment of silence passed over the guild and Freed let the situation dawn over him.

He was finally _home_ , but how was the guild supposed to feel like home when he couldn't even remember the name of everyone around him. They were all strangers to Freed.

"Well she was right, we were all devastated when we thought you were dead." Evergreen's voice was soft when she spoke, and she pulled away from Freed who turned around to look at her. He seemed to want to say something but was never given the chance when the guild doors were thrown open.

All heads snapped to attention when they saw a figure hunched over panting harshly. Small dolls floated around his head excitedly. The new comer took a moment to compose themselves before they finally threw their head up and looked franticly through the guild hall.

Laxus was the first to act by taking a step forward and saying "Bickslow? What the hell are you doing?" His words were rough but laced with confusion.

Bickslow didn't even pay attention to Laxus.

He was more concern with the person sitting at the bar with confusion written all over his face. Bickslow's eyes widen and the dolls floating around his head stopped in mid-air and soon fell to the ground with a loud clank.

Freed didn't know what to do, his eyes were glue on the man with the tattoo on his face, and just like when he saw Ever for the first time there was a strong sense of familiarity.

There was no warning for what happened next. Bickslow ran as fast as he could across the hall. Pushing through tables and people just so he could make it to Freed's side. And when he got what he wanted he threw himself at the greenett, wrapping his arms around Freed's lean frame and lifting him into the air.

He cried into Freed's hair screaming about how much he missed his Captain.

"Oh Freed baby! I knew you were alive!" Bickslow sobbed. Fat tears ran down his face and he just held on to Freed that much tighter around his waist.

The man in question was caught off guard, but again he felt obligated to comfort the stranger.

So he rose his arms and wrapped them around the other's neck and just let Bickslow cry into his shoulder. However his arms were going numb and he didn't like the feeling of his feet dangling in the air.

To try and make Bickslow stop crying, Freed pulled back slightly and said in his softest voice.

"It's okay, I'm home." He smiled at the man and he could feel his grip slacken, soon he was put back down. He saw movement out the corner of his eye and shortly after everything had gone slightly darker. A strong hand pressed itself to the small of his back and then the other moved to rest on Bickslow's arm.

"Bicks, there's something that we need to tell you…"

It was Laxus, Freed realized.

At the sound of the blonde's voice, Bicks pulled back from Freed and let go of his waist. His face was still wet with tears but he soon wiped them all away. When he was done he narrowed his eyes apprehensively at Laxus, who at that point had pulled Freed away. As if he was scared of Bicks touching him again.

Evergreen gave Laxus a strange look and got off her stool. Moving in between the three men.

"Bickslow, Freed doesn't know who any of us are." She let the words sink in and it broke her hear the way her friend's face just fell.

Then suddenly he was giving her a force smile and looking over her to catch Freed's eye.

"You're joking right?" He laughed. "Tell me Freed that she's joking and that you just took a really long vacation." At this point he was pleading very much like how Ever had done earlier.

She moved closer to her friend and saw that he might take the news harder than any of them and she reached out towards him. "It's going to be okay Bicks, we're going to get through this together. Just like old times." When she said that she threw a dazzling smile over her shoulder at Laxus and Freed.

Freed found the courage to smile back. He was given a bit of hope, he then, from that moment on, knew that Fairy Tail would do anything in their power to get back him memory. The feeling was so over whelming that tears of pure joy were forming in the corner of his eyes.

"She's right, we're going to figure this out together." Freed voiced, his voice was loud and filled with hope. A large smile formed on his lips and he turned to look up at Laxus.

"I'll do whatever it takes to remember you!" He promised.

Laxus was taken back by the statement and the fog of liquor that had been clouding his mind for most of the day disappeared and all he could focus on was Freed face and the smile that seem to light it up. For a moment he could forget that they had lost five years together and it was just any other day. Laxus couldn't talk and could only nod his head in agreement.

Around the group the entire guild broke into a mess of cheers and applause.

However over all the commotion, one voice could be heard clearly.

Natsu jumped up on one of the tables and with a fist encased in fire he roared.

"Hell yeah! _The Thunder Legion is back!"_


	6. Don't you dare take my treasure

The entire guild had broken into a party. Everyone was screaming out that one of their own was back home. The good wine was taken out and soon after Cana and some of the braver men of the guild were taking her on. Freed stared wide eye at all the commotion and soon found himself with his own drink of sweet liquor, however he couldn't help but notice that Laxus had not once left his side. He was a constant presence, like a shadow looming over him. Even when he was being pulled into embraces and many of the guild mates were introducing themselves all over again. He was there right behind Freed, a strong hand resting against the small of his back.

Evergreen and Bickslow were the same but took their time and left to see their respected other's. Bickslow pressing his lips against the top of a girl with snow white hair that framed her pretty pail face. Freed remembered her name being Lisanna. Ever was walking towards a tall and muscular man with equally white hair, but his skin was tan and there was a scar running over his eye. His name was Elfman and he was Lisanna's sister.

He smiled when he noticed a warm feeling spreading through his chest when he saw those two mages so happy. The smiles on their faces made Freed feel relief.

It was strange how attached he had become to the two wizards in just a few hours.

The guild itself was starting to grow on him and whenever someone would come up to him and tell him an old battle that they had shared. His eyes would widen and goosebumps would appear all over his body. The same tug he felt that very same morning appeared again every time he was told of something he had done in the past.

Supposedly he was known as _Freed the Dark_. He and Bickslow were the ones to defeat Rusty Rose on Tenro Island, and to fight against a mighty dragon during the time of the Grand Magic Games. He was shocked to be told that he was some powerful mage and that he was on the road to becoming an S Class Wizard.

Of course Natsu and Gray had disagreed, but soon after their short out bursts. They had to face Evergreen's wrath. She declared that her Freed was far more powerful than either of the two young men and if they thought any different than they would have to answer to her.

Laxus agreed, however he was not going to sit back and threaten the two like Ever had done, he was very tempted to just bash their heads in.

Bickslow was the one to defuse the situation and getting the entire guild back into a party mood, but that did not stop him from possessing one of the many mugs of beer and pouring it over Natus's and Gray's head. For the rest of the night they were both the laughing stock of the party. Not as if that was anything new.

The party had gone well into the night and would have gone past the sun rise, but Laxus saw the way the alcohol in his Freed system was making him sway on his feet and how it made his eyes seem a bit heavier.

Without saying a word to the others he took Freed's hand and led him out of the guild. Once again a strong feeling of possessiveness had his head reeling and the desire for a strong drink was making his body start to tingle. However pushing the feeling away he was able to see that Freed was starting to sober up. A small look of panic made his bark blue eyes widen.

"I have no place to stay!" He whispered. "How could I be so stupid and not think that far. Where am I going to go?" Freed was starting to panic, the small amount of liquor that he had consumed had created a haze over his usually sharp mind. He looked like a bird ready to fly off and the mere thought had Laxus jumping into action.

He let go of Freed's hand and moved his own to rest on Freed's shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay Freed. We're going home where it's safe and where you can rest." Laxus was surprised at how calm and soft his voice was when coming out of his mouth. He was even more surprised when his right hand moved up along Freed's slender neck and brushed back his long green hair. Soon he was cradling his cheek and Freed was staring at him with wide eyes filled with confusion and some other unknown emotion and that look was enough to break Laxus' heart.

"Come on Freed. We're going home." He swallowed back the thickness his throat and he had to fight back the strong urge to pull Freed closer.

The man in question was still staring at Laxus with a strange look and the feelings forming in his chest were making his heart race and his body start to heat up. His body seemed to be remembering something that his mind wasn't and it took all his power to ignore it.

With shortness of breath he was able to utter a simple phrase. "Laxus, where's home?"

The words were like a punch in the gut, for a moment Laxus couldn't breath and he felt like the very ground underneath his feet was about to shatter.

 _This is real. Freed doesn't know who the hell you are. You lost him. For five years he was given the chance at a new life and you weren't a part of it. Why the hell should you try to make him remember you now? Why do you want to ruin his chances at a better life?_

A strong voice was screaming at him to just let Freed go. He didn't deserve him at all. This was a way for the universe to tell him that Freed was never his to begin with. This was their way of saying that his time was up.

Then suddenly a memory fought its way to the forefronts of his mind. The very same feelings he had felt five years ago came back full force and that was enough to wash away any doubt he had just felt. "I'm going to take you home Freed. Don't worry about it."

Moving his hands away from Freed. He tangled their fingers together and once again they were walking down the streets of Magnolia.

Freed was looking at the many homes and shops that they passed by and every time he would let his eyes linger on a certain café or on a certain statue he was hit with a strong feeling of nostalgia. Something else that he couldn't help but notice was that for the first time in the entire day he wasn't scared of Laxus' touch. As they walked through the moon lit streets. It felt natural to walk by Laxus side with their fingers intertwined. It felt like some sort of dream was being fulfilled.

He was going home.

By the time they had made it to Laxus small home on the outskirts of town he was beyond exhausted. Freed was completely drained and it was a miracle that he even made it to the bed. He couldn't help but recall strong arms wrapping around him and his feet leaving the ground. Then he was softly placed on a large bed and chapped lips were presses against his forehead. In his mind it felt like a dream, maybe it was.

The moment that Laxus had put Freed to bed it was almost impossible to leave his side. It physically hurt him with every step he took towards the door. So in hopes to calm his pounding headache, he leaned against his closed bed room door. He could hear Freed's even breathing through the wood and it was enough to put his mind at ease.

 _Freed's alive!_

 _Freed's alive!_

 _Freed's alive!_

 _Freed's alive!_

 _Freed's alive!_

 _Freed's alive!_

 _Freed's alive!_

A strange sort of relief and calm washed over him and for the first time in five years, he was able to smile. His knees grew weak and he let himself slide against the wooden door. He wasn't going to leave Freed's side. He would stay there until he woke up and Laxus was going to make sure that he was okay. Laxus wouldn't leave Freed's side again.

There was a pounding at the door that had Laxus snapping awake. He looked around and saw that he had slept against the door of his bedroom. His body was stiff and achy. Rolling his neck to relive some of the tension he tried to think back to the bay before. Everything was covered in a thick haze and for a moment Laxus thought that he had gone through one of his more serious drinking endeavors.

Then he heard a soft sleepy moan come from his room. The sound was so familiar that it made him shoot up. The room began to violently spin but that didn't stop him from pressing his ear against the cold wood. His heart pounded against his rips and he strained his ears to try and hear the smallest of sounds. Then he heard a quiet snore.

Freed was sleeping in his room. Freed was alive. Yesterday really happen and it wasn't just a dream.

Laxus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and his entire body relaxed. Memories of the day before were slowly coming back to him and the more they did the more he noticed the pain behind his eyes.

The moment of calm was only short live when he heard banging on his door again. He pushed himself off the door and made his way to his front door.

Staying a few feet away from it he took a deep breath and tried to catch the stranger's scent.

When he smelled rose perfume and lavender shampoo he rolled his eyes and opened the door without a hesitation.

"Evergreen what do you want?" Laxus asked.

The woman with Medusas' eyes growled at the blonde and barged in. To Laxus' surprise Bickslow was close behind.

 _Damn that woman wears too much perfume._

The moments they were both inside his home, he shut the door and made his way to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator he reached inside and took a cold beer. Popping it open he drowned almost half of the golden liquid within a few large gulps.

Walking back out to the living room he noticed Bickslow had made himself at home. Sitting on the arm chair closest to the window, watching as Ever paced in worry. Her bottom lip was pulled back by white teeth and her arms were crossed protectively across her chest.

"Laxus, last night during the party Freed disappeared and we have no idea where he is!" She was close to hysteria and it made Laxus' roll his eyes again.

"He's fine. He looked tried so I brought him home and he's in my room sleeping. Freed had a long day yesterday." He said.

After that Laxus took another drink of his beer and walked past the confused woman. Her eyes were glued on the blonde and as he was sitting down on his couch he missed the look of betrayal that crossed her face.

"Why the hell didn't you tell us? We were worried sick!" Her voice had drastically lowered and it had become a harsh and threatening whisper. She moved around the couch to catch Laxus eyes. All he was doing was sitting back with his eyes closed and the beer bottle hanging loosely from his fingertips. At the sight of the familiar drink, disgust and anger rose up the back of Evergreen's throat.

She threw a glance at Bickslow and all be could do was shake his head in disappointment.

"It's ten in the morning and you're already drinking." She snapped.

It wasn't a question it was fact.

"Laxus you are a drunk. That is what you have been for the past four years. Do you honestly think that this would be the best place to have Freed? You're going to be on your ass by noon." Bickslow was the one to speak first. His eyes were narrowed and there was something behind his eyes. A sort of warning that Laxus couldn't see through his closed eyes.

But when the blonde let the words sink in he felt a little ball of anger form in his gut. Cracking his eyes open he sent a glare in Bickslow's direction.

"I'm not a drunk. I can quit whenever the hell I want." His voice was a low and menacing growl and his grip on the beer bottle's neck tightened.

"Then throw that beer away." Ever added as a dare.

Laxus head snapped up and he was staring up at Ever who was tapping her foot in impatience

"I'm only going to drink this one beer for the nerves. Calm down princess." He was growling at this point.

Both Ever and Bicks knew what it meant when the Lightning Dragon Slayer was pushed to his limits. They had experienced his magic first hand. However they both didn't care if they riled up the blonde. They just didn't want Freed around Laxus when he was under the influence of anything. Evergreen had saw the way Laxus had turned so hostile towards Freed when he very first showed up at the guild yesterday morning and she wasn't going to forget the fear that _Laxus_ made appear on her Captain's face.

"Then until you have your drinking under control I want Freed to stay with me." Evergreen declared.

The room fell silent and both men were staring at her in shock.

Bickslow was the first to react.

He laughed and shook his head. "You and Elfman live in a pretty small place. What are you going to offer him? Your couch? If he is going to stay with anyone, it's going to be me and Lisanna. We have a big enough place and he can stay in our guest room." Bickslow was staring straight at Ever, his eyes narrowed in a short of challenge.

They were so both engrossed with one another that they failed to noticed the state that Laxus was putting himself in.

Fury made his hold on the glass bottle so tight that with his sheer strength it shattered.

Both his ex-teammates' head turned to his direction.

Ever being the closest took a step back in slight fear.

"Neither one of you is going to take Freed away from me. I'm not going to lose him again. Do you understand me?" Laxus was unable to control his anger. The thought of having Freed taken away from his was enough to set him off on his very own friends.

Would someone still qualify as a friend if you hadn't had a real conversation with them for years? Laxus didn't know.

But the only thing that was really important to him at the moment was making sure that he stayed by Freed's side.


	7. How could I forget

Freed woke up in an unfamiliar place. The covers surrounding him had a strange but comforting scent and he buried his face deeper within them. Sighing out in relaxation, any rational thinking was thrown out the window.

He stayed in the bed in a state of bliss until he heard voices coming from the other side of the wall. His eyes flew open and his heart began to race. Freed had no idea where he was or who those people were. He shot up from the bed, the covers pooling around his waist. He looked down at himself and noticed that he was still in his clothes form the night before.

Freed looked around the room and saw that he was laying on a four poster bed. A nightstand was to his right and on it was an old photograph. He moved over the mattress and reached out for it.

Then suddenly he heard glass shatter and fall to the floor.

He looked around the room in shock and retracted his hand in slight fear. Jumping off the bed he rushed to the door and threw it open. He walked down the short hallway and then he heard. "Neither one of you are going to take Freed away from me. I'm not going to lose him again. Do you understand me?"

The voice was close to a growl. The tone of it alone sent chills down his spine.

However, he could feel something strange tug at his heart. With much hesitation he looked into what seemed like the living room and he saw three familiar faces.

Evergreen, Bickslow, and Laxus were all standing around the living room. The sound of soft dripping filling the tense air.

Freed took a step forward and at that moment something took over him and he had no control over his voice.

"No one is going to take me away from you, Laxus." His voice was soft and reassuring. He let a small smile appear on his lips. He saw the looks of shock and confusion written all over their faces. They must not have expected for him to wake up. He moved forward and made it to Bickslow's side. Smiling up at the mask man

The man in question instinctively reached out for him and grabbed his shoulder. The act on itself just showed how unsure Bickslow was. He had only reached out to make sure that Freed was still real. Five years of thinking that your closest friend was dead and having them suddenly show up can make anyone hesitant to believe that they had truly come home.

"Freed you can't do that! Laxus is a drunk, who knows what can happen when he's had a shot too many." Evergreen had only wanted what was best for her Captain but the way she had said those words and the way she pointed an accusing finger at Laxus. Just seemed wrong to Freed.

"I would like to say that I trust Laxus enough that nothing is going to happen." His face softened and he tried to reassure the woman.

That wasn't enough for her and she snapped. Her eyes narrowed and she threw a glare at Laxus. "How the hell are you going to trust Laxus when you don't even know him?" Her voice was sharp and left no room for argument. As soon as she figure out what she had said and the implications that it had she closed her mouth and covered it with her hands.

When Freed was able to register the words fully. At that moment there was a sharp pain over his heart and he felt betrayed. Her words were nothing but truth and he didn't know why it affected him so greatly. Maybe it was just the fact that she finally confronted the giant elephant in the room and said what everyone was thinking.

Freed was not in a position where he could be a judge of character. He didn't know any of the people of the guild that called him his friends. So how was he going to draw an accurate conclusion? For all he knew Laxus was violent when he was drunk and when he thought back to it. He remembered when they had first met the previous day. He was enraged that Freed didn't recognize him. His eyes had a glaze over them but that was not enough to see the hurt and anger behind them. Laxus had only snapped out of his trance because Ever was there to get in between them. She was right, he couldn't just go off and say that he trusted – in every sense of the word – a stranger.

Then as he dwelled deeper in his mind he realized that she had no room to voice such accusations. What made her feel so entitled to have him in her home? They were fighting over him as if he was some sort of lost puppy. Ever had said that he didn't know who Laxus truly was. It was the same when it came to her. He didn't know who Evergreen was either. He had just met the other day and the same went for Bickslow.

Freed was going to choose what he though was best for _himself._ He was not going to let some _strangers_ dictate his actions or the outcome of said actions.

"Evergreen, the same can be said for you..." He answered. "I have no idea who you are or what you mean to me, but I know one thing. And that is that you will not go around saying that you know what is best for me. I have been living my own life for the past five years. I have changed, grown, and became a new person in that time. You don't know who I became. So don't you dare go around and think that you know who I am." Freed was angry now.

No, not Freed, _Alexander._

Alexander was not going to have someone treat him like some sort of child. He was a grown man and if he wanted to stay with Laxus so be it. She had no claim over him. Alexander was going to do what he wanted and what he _knew_ was best for him. No stranger was going to take that away from him.

He ran his finger through his hair and let out a sigh of annoyance. He looked back to the woman a few feet from her and gave her a glare. The sudden act had her taking a step back in pure shock and horror.

"Evergreen, Bickslow can you both leave. It is early and I'm wanting to try and settle down." His voice was harsh and cold. He walked pasted a stun Laxus and went to open the front door. Throwing it wide he waited until they both had left. When none of them moved Alexander spoke again. "Well...?"

Bickslow was the first one to snap out of whatever shock he was under. He ran to Freed and grabbed his shoulders. An apologetic smile could be seen on his lips and he looked down at Freed. "Hey baby, she didn't mean anything by it she just wants to make sure that you're okay while you settle down." His voice was pleading and all Freed did was turn his head in dismissal and shrug off the taller man's hands.

"Please don't go around calling me such names…" Alexander ordered.

Evergreen was on the verge of tears and she let her anger out on closest person to her.

"You did this Laxus! Even before he had gone missing you did something! You don't even _deserve_ him" She was screaming at that point. Again she was raising an accusing finger at the Lightning Dragon and her face was set into a hard and emotionless mask. She took a step towards him and for a moment it was as if she was going to hit him.

The air was heavy on all their shoulders and at that same moment it dawned over every single person in Laxus' home.

They were no longer a team. Most importantly they were no longer friends.

Time made sure to destroy their relationships.

"Evergreen!" Freed yelled.

His voice was almost deafening and it made Bickslow take a step towards the open door.

"I said leave!"

She threw her head at Freed's direction and her mouth fell open. The woman was going to say something but her throat had tighten up. Her vocal cords had decided to betray her and turn her in a mute.

Evergreen didn't know what to do, so all she could do was do as she was told. Her heart was aching and the anger she held for both Freed and Laxus was growing. If she didn't leave at that moment who knew what could have happen. She pushed past Bickslow and Alexander caught sight of her furiously wiping away at her eyes. Tears already escaping and dampening her cheeks.

Bickslow stayed behind, for a moment he just stood there and then he started to walk out of the house. When he made it under the doorway he turn his head back and saw Freed with his head down. His long green hair covering most of his visage. A dark cloud past over both their minds

"You're right Freed, we don't know you at all." He said that with a broken voice and it shattered his heart. He reached for the door and slammed it shut. Bickslow soon after caught up with Evergreen.

Alexander stood frozen in the spot and he had to admit that Bickslow's words had cut deeper then he thought they should have. He felt like he did something unspeakable to his so called friends, but he had the right to.

They were treated him like some sort of prize that they had to fight over. Alexander was not going to have any of that.

Laxus was still standing in front of his couch, his mind was clouded with so many unknown emotions. He didn't know what had just transpired. However he was sure that he had not given any reason for Freed to stay. Yet, the Rune Mage had decided to stay at his side even after he had just been given perfectly good reasons as to why he shouldn't. Freed chose him and that was the only thing that calmed his racing heart and dull the anger that he was feeling through that entire encounter.

He didn't care if Evergreen resented him for what he was doing. He had done nothing wrong and the woman was over reacting. She had made it seem that he was going to do something to Freed at any given moment. His body tingled and he craved a beer.

Remembering the one in his hand he rose it to his lips and was met with a sharp stinging pain. He cursed loudly and opened it slowly.

He looked down at his hand and saw that it was covered in blood and right below it was a puddle of that very substance mixed with beer.

The sound of Laxus deep voice snapped Alexander out of his inner turmoil. He brought his head up and saw the mess the blonde's hand was in. He gasped and rushed to his side. When he caught sight of the blood on the floor his face grew white and his heart stop. For some reason the sight of Laxus' blood was something that made his skin craw and in his mind there was a voice that screamed out, _"I should never see Laxus' like this…"_

"Give me your hand!" He demanded.

Laxus was taken back by the tone of his voice and just shook his head. "I'm fine…" He said to try and calm the smaller man.

Alexander just moved forward and pushed Laxus down on the couch with all his strength. The slightly older man just let himself be tossed down and looked up shocked at the smaller man.

Alexander ducked his head when he felt a blush start to grow on his cheeks, turning his face as red as the blood that wet the floor by his foot.

"You're going to let me take care of you…" He said. At the end of his simple statement it sounded more like a plea and something was tugging at his heart. The morning's events began to weigh down on him and his head was starting to ache. "Please…" He breathed.

He heard a groan from below him and that was all he needed as permission. Alexander walked past the couch and rushed back to the hallway looking through the only three other doors that were in Laxus' home. When he finally found the restroom he looked under the sink to find a first aid kit. There was a thick layer of dust that covered it and when he tried to blow it off the dust began to float through the air and he sneezed. Shaking his head to try and clear it away from the dust. He rushed out of the restroom and walked quickly down the hall. When he made it back to the living room, Alex was already opening the small plastic box and looking through it to see if he could find anything that would have been of use to him.

Laxus looked around to find Freed with a look of concentration on his face. The emotion making small creases form on his forehead. The lines around his mouth and eyes deepen and Laxus noticed how much Freed had truly changed in the last five years. _"We were supposed to do that together."_ His mind screamed.

" _You don't even deserve him!"_ This time the voice sounded very much like Evergreen's

His blood ran cold and his skin broke out in a chill.

"Freed…" His whispered brokenly.

The man in question stiffen, his eyes widen in slight fear and a guilty feeling washed over him. He shivered when he registered the sound of Laxus' voice and the way he had said his true name.

" _That's right, my real name is Freed."_

Freed took a deep breath and looked up to see Laxus looking at him with a strange look on his face. He took the last few steps towards his host and kneeled before the God like man. He gently reached out for the bloody hand and began to pull out the shards of glass that he could see.

"Don't worry Laxus. I'm going to make it better." Freed whispered.


	8. Through all the static and delight

"You don't have to do this…" Laxus whispered harshly.

His pride was hurt. Laxus couldn't bear to look at Freed; he turned his head in shame. He was ashamed that he was forced into such a situation. Evergreen had called him out on all his flaws and gave clear evidence that Freed shouldn't stay with him.

Freed most likely stayed with him out of pity. Both Freed and Evergreen were right. He didn't know Laxus at all. How was he supposed to think that it was a good idea to live with a drunk? Freed was in a very fragile state and Laxus wished only to protect him with every ounce of power that he possessed. However, he couldn't do that when he was tipsy most of the time. He had become weak in the last five years. He fell into the mouth of addiction and sadly, he had no intention of breaking free. Laxus had put himself in a cycle of anger, self-declamation of flaws, and then back to defeat. Soon after the cycle was completed he would be found with rum on his breath and a glass of the liquid in his hand.

"I deserve this anyway." He added. A dark shadow formed over his head and he let it fall.

Yet, that didn't stop the man before him from continuing to clean out his cut hand. Then suddenly a wet rag was pressed against his open flesh and he almost screamed at the sharp stinging that followed after.

Freed bit his lip in guilt and watched as Laxus' face contorted in pain. "It's just some disinfected." He tried to explain. His stomach painfully turned at being the cause of the blonde's pain and all he could do was reassuringly stroke up his arm. Then he recalled what Laxus had just said. "You're right, I don't have to do this, but I want to. I may not know you, but my body does and my body told me that I needed to stay with you." Freed was a bit taken back by the self-loathing that was dripping of Laxus' voice. It just seemed wrong for the God like man to say of the sort.

Freed may have no recollection of his past, but it was near impossible for him to fight against the pull he had towards Laxus. It was strange and frightening. Freed had never experienced such a thing and it was all very new to him. The outburst that he had with Evergreen and Bickslow was something that left a sour taste in his mouth. He wasn't supposed to snap back at them. They were both just wanting the best for him. Yet, his mind set of the last five years kicked in and for a moment he was not Freed, but Alexander.

That was a moment for Freed that truly scared him. The idea of losing himself forever was something that he didn't want to think about. Laxus was the only familiar thing that he was willing to explore. His body naturally relaxed around Laxus for some odd reason and Freed was not going to give that up.

"Please, Laxus, let me help you." Freed begged.

He looked up at the injured man and was caught off guard by the expression that he was met with.

Laxus was looking down at him with wide stormy grey hues. Shock and realization lit them up like roaring fires. The intensity of his gaze set Freed's skin ablaze and once again a familiar warmth spread throughout his body. Strange emotions of passion, hesitation, and something else far more terrifying than Freed could ever imagine, made his cheeks grow a bright red. His mouth went dry and he licked his lips. There was a pull between both men and slowly they began to lean in. Something natural and familiar washed over both of them, and for once Freed wasn't worrying about the fact that he didn't know who he truly was. In that moment he was just Freed and the man before him was the most stunning creature that he had the chance of looking at.

His body knew something that he didn't know and he was determined to figure out what it was.

A fire burned within him and a strange pressure formed on the top of his head.

"Laxus…" He breathed.

The man in question growled in response and the sound set shivers running down Freed's spine. The blush on his cheeks darkened and his mouth fell open. His lips glisten with a light sheen of saliva.

A hungry glow came off Laxus and his eyes were alit with a look of arousal, possession, and desperation; yet, there was fear mingling within his grey orbs. That emotion alone making his movements slow and hesitant. He didn't want to scare Freed away, but desperation was slowly winning over. It had been years since he was given a chance to truly touch his angel. Five long years of loneliness and a bitter numbness to pain he should have gotten over during the span of that time. However, he never could. The hope that Freed was still alive somewhere was what kept Laxus as sane as he was at the moment. The pain of the other's sudden departure from the land of the living was a stab to his heart.

Those thoughts were slipping away from him. The more that he was given the chance to see Freed breathing. The more the entire ordeal to Laxus' seemed insignificant. All those nights that he wished that he was still by his side. All those days where he had been drinking himself to sweet oblivion. They didn't need to happen anymore. Freed was on his knees in front of him, his heavy breathing cascading across his face in puffs. Laxus was reliving one of his many dreams. The only thing that he had to do was lean forward, close the space between them.

"Freed, can I kiss you?" He asked, nervousness lacing through his words.

Freed didn't know how to respond. His mind was fighting against his body. Trying to pull him back and rectify the situation. In his mind there was a small voice that was warning him and saying that whatever was going to happen was a bad idea. His body was doing its best to fight his mind. His body was screaming to go and press his body against the Dragon Slayer's. It told him that he was meant to be in the other's arms and wrapped in an embrace. His body was craving Laxus' touch. Freed was hot and ball of tension was forming at the small of his back and it made him bite back an obscene noise.

He couldn't think straight, Freed tried to process as much as he could but his mind was just static. He let his eyes fall and gave control over to his body. Freed felt himself move forward. His hand rested on Laxus' knee and slowly creeped up his thigh. The other reached out and grabbed Laxus' shoulder.

They leaned towards one another and with held breath waited for the other to make the first move.

Freed's familiar and missed scent surrounded Laxus. The smell making his head spin and his heart clench in many unresolved emotions.

The smaller man could just feel the muscles under his hands tensing and twitching. Something was nagging at the back of his mind and for a moment he didn't pay it attention. All he was focused was on the hand moving to cradle the back of his and the other wrapping around his waist.

Neither of them knew who moved first. The only thing that mattered was the kiss that they finally gave into.

Their lips met and a damn broke within Freed's mind. Strange images obscured with static flooded him. He couldn't breathe. The feeling was over whelming, and it was all from a single kiss. His own desperation took a hold of him and he pressed against Laxus' strong firm body. He let his lips fall open and a moan was stolen from him.

Laxus could have wept. Feeling Freed in his arms again; after five years it was too much. He ignored the pain in his hand and reached out to take Freed in a long awaited embrace. He heard the soft moan the other made and that was all he needed for his self-control to vanish.

He deepen the kiss, turning his head to the side and getting better access. He let his tongue slip out from his mouth and to his surprise was met half way.

They clung to one another. Their mouths hot against each other. They lick, bit, and sucked. It was clear that some sort of tension had built up between them and it found an outlet. Freed was chasing something in his head. The pressure was building, but the memories were not getting any clearing.

He pressed himself harder against Laxus. Strong arms moved to wrap around his body and then he was lifted up to his feet and pulled down on Laxus' lap.

The Lightning Mage was the first to break the kiss but not contact. He bowed his head and latched his teeth on the sensitive skin of Freed's neck. He bit down not so gently and when he heard a pained gasp he unlatched his teeth and soothed away the pain with his tongue. A deep moan rumbled in his chest and the sound alone made Freed whimper.

He peppered kisses all along his neck hearing the gasps, moans, and hitches of breath. Every single sound something that he thought he would have to live without. Dreams were coming true for Laxus and he intended to see them through.

Freed was losing his mind. Arousal and fear were two opposing emotions that just heightened the experience. His mind was running at a hundred miles an hour. Hazy memories were fighting to be rediscovered, yet, there was something stopping that from happening. A wall was between him and founding out the answers to so many questions.

The pressure was building; the heat in his body was escalating to new heights. All traces of arousal vanished. Fear took a tight grip of his body and mind. His body stiffen in Laxus' arms, frozen in place.

For a frightening long moment he forgot where he was, and who he was with. His eyes flew open. He gasped and then suddenly there was a sharp pain shooting from the back of his head and flying through his skull and blinding his eyes in a white hot light.

He screamed in agony. Freed called out the only name that he could pull from the haze of pain and confusion.

"Laxus!"

Makarov sat in his office with an excited smile on his face. His short legs swinging back in forth with glee.

A communication lacrima was in front of him and after a second of it charging up there was an image of a very familiar guild. The tag team of Orga Nanagear and Rufus Lore walked across the screen of the magical rock and then was followed by the curious face of Minerva.

Her eyes widen in pleasant surprise when she saw who was calling, but there was no hesitation when she returned the smile she saw on the old man's face,

"Hello, Master Makarov. To what does Sabertooth owe the pleasure?" She asked in a light and airy tone.

Behind her, Fairy Tail's guild master caught sight of the two very mages he sought out. "Actually my dear, I was hoping to speak to your guild master. I have some rather pleasant news that I think might make his day." His smile grew brighter and he looked like a proud father. How could he not? One of his children had just came back home to him. That alone was a reason for huge celebration.

Minerva was taken back by the request and to hide her curiosity she chuckled softly. "Well, I do hope you're right, because as you know this a rather difficult time of year for both Sting and Rogue." When she said that her voice lowered and an apologetic glace was thrown at the oldest living Dreyar.

All he could do was throw his head back and laugh. The sound filled with pure delight.

"My dear Minerva, my news is a cause for celebration. Now put your master on the lacrima."

The temporal manipulator became confused and was only able to see through Makarov's request. "Sting, Rogue! Master Makarov from Fairy Tail is calling you with something important." She screamed over the ruckus.

The guild master of Sabretooth and his mate walked up to her and took the rock off her hands. She stayed close to her friends to make sure she caught what the old man was about to say.

"Master Makarov, it's been a while. I hope everything is well?" Sting asked. A few extreme scenarios crossed his mind. Rogue was close behind him and offered Dreyar a smile in salutations.

Makarov smiled at the two twins before he said a word. "He's alive! Freed Justine is alive!"


	9. This might just be the end of it all

In an abandoned set of ruins fires were lit around the grounds. Flags bearing the symbol of a dark guild were hung on crumbling walls. A skull with its jaw wide open to let a snake slither out.

Men and women adoring dark cloaks were moving to and fro. A sense of urgency and anticipation high in the air. However, their master was anything but pleased. Within the ruins he sat on top an old thrown. At his feet a loyal servant kneeled before him shaking in fear.

"I'm going to ask you again." The Master warned. "What do you mean that the Fairy is alive?" His voice was sickly sweet, the tone in on itself was a harsh contrast against the dark energy coming off him in waves. "You said that it was clear that he was killed five years ago. Even after a stated that I wanted him alive!" The man's voice was slowly starting to rise in anger.

His servant winced at the menacing tone, trying in vain to think up an excuse that would potentially save his life.

"My lord, we were certain that we killed him after there was no signs of the body. The only traces that he had left was large amounts of blood. One of my men got too carried away sending a strong spell at the Fairy. Having him slam up against a tree and hit his head hard. That man was punished for his mistake."

"That did not answer my question, you idiot!" The Master roared.

The response was something that made the unnamed man shiver in fear.

The Master heard a soft whimper from the kneeled man, making his eyes narrow in disgust.

"One…one of our m- men saw him boarding a train to- toward the town of Magnolia." The servant stuttered in fear as he finally gave the answer his Master.

A moment of silence past where all one could hear was the commotion of the wizards outside.

The master stayed sitting on his throne contemplating the next moves his guild would have to take. Magnolia was a town that would take his entire guild days of travel. Yet, in the man's mind, a few days were mere seconds compared to the five years he had waited for the chance at revenge.

"You're stupidity has cost me years of perpetration." The man said simply.

He arose from his throne slowly, making sure that his dark magic was tangible in the air around both him and his servant.

The man at his feet was close to sobbing. His voice coming out in mere whimpers begging for mercy.

A sadistic smile formed on the master's lips. Seeing a man break down at his feet just because of his sheer presence and power was something that he would never get bored of.

After five years he was ready to exact his revenge. He was no longer going to follow the plan he had wanted to use since the beginning. He was going to go for an attack against his enemies' very hearts. An attack to the guild that ripped everything from him.

"Go and inform the entire guild that we are going to go to war. I am tired of waiting; this is going to be the end of Fairy Tail. Even if that means giving our own lives to see that happen."

The master's voice was booming when he gave the order. Something in his voice shook the walls around them. The commotion outside also was lowered. As if the guild itself was able to sense the orders its master had given.

"When you're done giving the news, come back so I can kill you for not following my orders since the beginning."

That was the last thing the master said before his servant jumped up to his feet, running towards the large double doors at the end of the room.

* * *

"Freed!" Laxus called out. His voice rose ever so slightly. Fear clear in the way he began to cling to Freed's now limp body.

" _Freed, wake up!"_ Laxus lastly screamed.

Hs entire body was shaking with desperation, his mind coming forth with the worst case scenarios.

Was Freed alright? Had Laxus done something triggering? What caused Freed to scream and lose consciousness? What the hell was going on? Who was making them go through such hell?

Laxus pulled back to try and get a better look at Freed's face. His heart began to race when he could smell blood that wasn't his own. "Freed, please wake up." He begged.

When Laxus was far enough back, he moved a hand up to push back Freed's long green hair. As his face came to view there was blood slowly falling from his nose. His skin had taken on a sickly pale color. If no one had known better they would have thought that man in Laxus' arms was dead.

The only thing that kept Laxus from fully panicking was the warmth of Freed's skin; the clear rise and fall of his chest.

Yet, that wasn't enough to calm Laxus fully. He was on the verge of breaking down with the more he asked for Freed to wake up.

The sight the rune mage was creating caused a sick feeling to form on the bottom of Laxus' gut.

Slowly, Laxus moved the hand that pushed back Freed's hair to wipe away the blood from his nose.

"I'm not sure what's going on, Freed." He whispered softly. Wrapping his arms once again fully around Freed's body, he got up. "But I'm going to figure out what happen to you."

With one arm under Freed's knee and the other under his shoulders, Laxus was able to carry his Captain down the hallway to his room. Just like he had done the night before, but the difference was that he wasn't filled with joy, hope, and a strange calm. Laxus was filled with dread, desperation, and fear.

Freed was in pain, it was clear in the way he screamed out when Wendy had tried to get into his mind. It was also clear in the way he screamed again when he kissed Laxus.

When they made it to Laxus' room, the blonde softly set Freed down on his bed.

Pulling up the blanket just took a few moments and after that Freed was covered. A light red stain on his upper lip was still present even after Laxus wiped off the blood.

Laxus stood over the bed watching Freed for a long time. He didn't know how long, but when he got back to his senses it was well into the afternoon. Even as he walked out of the room to try and find something to eat it was near impossible to pull his eyes away from Freed's resting face.

"Get a hold of yourself man!" He growled at himself.

As he walked out of the room his body began to tingle all over. His hands shook when he tried to rub at his face. With no thought behind it he walked through his living room eyeing a small cabinet against the wall filled with the hardest liquor Laxus could afford.

Opening the small glass doors was a comfort by itself. Just knowing that soon he would find himself with a burning down his throat and an alcohol induced warmth in his stomach was enough to calm his racing heart.

He reached out for the closest bottle there was. Which was a tall slender piece of glass molded to encase vodka. However, the contents of the battle were more than half way done. That was not going to do it for Laxus. Behind the bottle of vodka was another one of whiskey. Laxus knew that the mixture that he was about to drink was something many would recommend against, but his nerves were all over the place. He couldn't calm down if he didn't at least have a shot.

 _"Laxus you are a drunk. That is what you have been for the past four years. Do you honestly think that this would be the best place to have Freed?_ _"_

"Shut the hell up, Bickslow. You and Evergreen don't understand. I'm not a fucking drunk." Laxus growled at the voice in his head.

As if in a complete haze, he swayed on his feet. Everything was starting to have a double in his eyes. Chills were running up and down his spine. Not waiting to be proper, or clean he pulled off the cap of the vodka and began to raise the bottle to his lips.

The moment the mouth of the bottle met his lips he took one large swig of the poison.

* * *

"What the hell does he think he's doing?" Evergreen exclaimed.

She walked back and forth in front of the Master's desk. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and her hair was pulled up to keep it out of her face while she ranted on.

"Laxus, knows that Freed shouldn't be staying with him! Especially with what he's dealing with!" She argued.

Bickslow at this point had stopped trying to calm his friend down. After the slap in the face he took the hint that Ever didn't want anyone near her. Even Elfman, who had walked up to her the moment she set foot in the guild, was shot down with a cold glare that would have turned anyone else into stone.

"Evergreen, my dear, please calm down." Makarov asked with a small smile on his face.

Of all the people who was close to Laxus, the old man was one of the few who knew to what extent the "death" of Freed had on his grandson. The poor boy locked himself in his home for weeks afterwards. Never leaving it even when there was nothing but rotten food in his cabinets and refrigerator.

Makarov had faith in his grandson in that he, even under the influence, wouldn't hurt Freed.

"I'm sorry Guild Master, but if I have to fight your grandson just to have Freed safe and away from him then I will!" Evergreen continued. There was something dangerous in her eyes. Bickslow took note of it and shot up from his chair.

He made his way to his friend of many year, taking her by the shoulder and spinning her around so she was facing both him and their master.

"Calm down!" Bickslow all but screamed.

He was in the same state as Evergreen. The last few days were the most stressful of his life. After thinking that his dearest friend had died for five year then coming to know that he had been alive all that time can take a toll on anyone. Not only that, but there was also the fact that Freed remembered nothing. The damage so far gone that even his attitude towards his old teammates was something that was a complete change.

Bickslow was angry, confused, and hurt; he didn't know what to do. Having Evergreen go off and threaten to hurt Laxus was the last straw for him. He was not going to have his friends go against each other.

"If this is what Freed wants then we are going let it be." He said sternly. "Freed wants to be with Laxus for some reason. Maybe it's because he feels something familiar with him. If that's the case then let's hope that it'll bring back his memory quicker."

When he saw the shock cross Ever's eyes, Bickslow knew that he was able to get through to her.

"Stop making this about yourself. Freed needs us more than ever. Laxus too."

* * *

 _Freed was in a strange state of mind. He was just floating there; suspended in air._

 _Somewhere ahead of him he could hear the soft murmuring of voices._

" _That was easier than I thought."_

" _This was just a waste of time. The hell is this mission anyway."_

" _Sting, understand that something that we might find easy can be someone else's hardest challenge."_

" _Freed's right, stop complaining."_

" _Whatever Rogue, let's get going and collect this reward."_

" _Wait do you smell that?"_

" _What is it?"_

" _Bandits…"_

" _Bandits?"_

" _RUN…."_


	10. There's still some light left

_**I'm so sorry for the two month wait! I've been through a lot of stress these past few months with school and also having my inspiration went to other works. I hope that I haven't lost any people who have read this story! You're input is always appreciated! Tell me what you think and where you want this story to go? Once again I'm so sorry for the long wait!**_

* * *

Evergreen had been able to calm down her fury. She of course was still livid but it had gone from seething to just a slight shimmer of anger.

Bickslow let go of his friend to go back to sitting down. At that point he was confident that Ever was not going to go off again. She was just tired looking when she went to take a seat. Her shoulders had fallen and the light of rage behind her glasses vanished to only show fatigue.

Makarov gave her a pitied look. Something tugged at his heart; never liking to see one of his children in pain.

"Maybe you both can go and check on them?" The old man brought up. He leaned forward with an almost reassuring air around him. Something that said, _go on, go check on both of them and just be the team you were before._

Ever ran her fingers through matted bangs craving for shower after the last few days that she had. Her fellow Thunder Legion member in the same predicament.

"That would be a good idea…" Bickslow said softly.

He looked through the visor of his mask to see Evergreen stiffen at the thought of having to confront Laxus again.

It had been a few hours since they had seen them. Hopefully Laxus had calmed down a considerable amount.

Evergreen looked up at Bicks with tired eyes and for a moment the man was tempted to just take back the idea and have her go home and rest.

"Let me go home to freshen up." She said with a voice laced with fatigue.

Makarov nodded in understand. Watching both mages begin to get ready to leave he thought of one last thing to add.

"I know that my grandson is not the most emotional person. That he doens't know how to convey his emotions but I want you both to know that he cares about the Thunder Legion with a passion. All he ever wanted was to keep you all safe." In dire need of a resolution between Laxus and Evergreen. He wanted both Fairy Tail members to know that there was still some of the old Laxus within the new and broken one. As much as it pained the old man's heart to admit that his grandson was in agony. He knew that with Freed's sudden appearance Laxus was going to go back to his normal self.

Strange how the Rune Mage had such an effect on Laxus. Should Makarov interpret the relationship between Laxus and Freed as something more than friendship? Only time could tell.

Evergreen and Bickslow were stunned to hear the sudden confession from their guild master, but in a way it was just what they needed to try and regain their lost connection.

With those final words both friends left the office with a plan to head to their respective homes to freshen up and then meet at Laxus'place. Just to check up on the two men.

* * *

For once, Freed awoke slowly from his slumber. Conscience seduced him back into the world of the living with the light of the afternoon sun hitting his face.

Slowly, he opened his eyes to only find that he was once again laying in an unfamiliar bed.

However, he did not panic. He knew where he was and with who he was with. Yet there something that didn't seem right to him. It felt unnatural to be in Laxus' room at all. It felt like he didn't belong there.

Getting up, he took note of the dull pain behind his eyes. He groaned in slight pain letting the covers pool around his waist. When the pain went away a good amount he was able to open his eyes fully. His curiosity got the best of him so he began to look around the room trying to get a feel of who Laxus was.

The room looked like it hadn't been lived in for months, maybe even years.

Something made Freed's heart feel heavy with guilt.

 _Was all this pain caused by me?_

He shook his head gently to try and rid himself of the thought. It would do him no good to dwell in such dark thoughts.

Bad enough that he couldn't remember his entire life now he was filled with guilt, dread and unease. There was something that his body was remembering that his mind just couldn't grasp. Freed only hoped that if he ever did remember that it would not be something that would not cause him any more confusion.

He pushed back the covers in hopes of looking for Laxus. The last time he saw the man was right after Freed had kicked Ever and Bickslow out.

"What were we doing?" He thought out loud.

With the palm of his hand he rubbed at his right eyes. The memories were there; it was just that they were covered in static. Freed could see something behind his closed eyes but he couldn't make out what it was.

"The moment Evergreen and Bickslow left I stood by the door. Then I heard a dripping sound, but where was it coming from?" Freed said desperately.

Then it hit him all at once.

There was a kiss, a moment of clarity, then pain. Pure white hot pain.

Freed's hand fell from his face to wrap around him in a sort of comfort. A soft whimper fell from his lips.

What was going on with him? He was so lost and confuse that he didn't know what to do. That wasn't like him.

He straightened his back running his trembling fingers through his hair.

Pushing back his emerald strands he caught sight of a single picture on the bed stand right next to him. The same picture that caught his attention earlier. He reached out slowly for it. Trying desperately for some reason to not to make a single noise.

When his slender fingers cradled the old wrinkled paper it took him a moment to figure out what he was looking at.

The picture was of him and the Thunder Legion. Evergreen was smiling while Bickslow was raising a fists of victory. Between the two mages Laxus and Freed were looking at each other. The blonde had a wolfish grin on his face making him look so young. As for Freed, anyone could see the slight blush high on his cheeks, but still he looked like he was in the middle of laughing. His eyes shining up at Laxus.

They looked good together, all four of them. They looked like a family.

Freed didn't remember when the photo was taken, or even why. His heart ached and his head throbbed.

He tried his hardest to dig through his mind, but no memories came up.

"We took that photo after our first S Class mission together." Came a slurred voice.

Freed's head shot up only to be faced with Laxus leaning against the door frame with a glass of some dark amber drink in his hand.

There was a flush to his cheeks and the smell of liquor rolling off him in waves.

The shorter man ignored his need for answers rushing immediately to the blonde's side. His face carried a soft and worried gaze. Something that he hoped would sooth Laxus and prevent the man from lashing out.

"Laxus…" He said softly. His head reaching out for the glass. "Why don't you go take a shower and leave the drinking for later?" Freed encouraged. Of course when he said later he meant never.

The Lightning Dragon took a step towards Freed. His entire body casting a shadow over Freed's body. The light coming from the hallway causing the ominous affect.

Laxus' large calloused hand came to stroke Freed's cheek. It was almost like even after a near twenty-four hours, Laxus was still not able to really comprehend the fact that Freed was standing in front of him.

The moment the pads of Laxus' fingers touched Freed's cheeks, the shorter man's breath hitched.

"I thought of putting that picture in your coffin, but it had been the only thing I had of you." Laxus whispered lastly.

At the sound of those words Freed could have wept. Knowing that Laxus had felt so alone after he disappeared was too much to take in. What had he been to Laxus before the five-year gap? What was Laxus to him?

Those were going to be questions for another time. At that moment Freed was going to push his own feelings aside and make sure that Laxus was alright.

He moved up against Laxus so that their bodies were only inches apart. His hand reached forward for the glass of alcohol. When he grasped the cup he let his other hand come up and rest against Laxus' strong chest.

"Go shower…" Freed ordered.

It seemed that those were the only words that Laxus needed to sober up because his eyes widened and his hand fell from Freed's cheek.

Laxus took a step back without a word. Making his way down the hallway he reached the last door of the hall. It must have been the bathroom. Moments later Freed could hear water running.

He sighed a bit in fatigue hoping that Laxus would be sober by the time he was done with his shower. Freed didn't know what he wanted to do at that moment. His head still spinning from the intimate touch from Laxus and the thought that only hours ago they had shared a passionate kiss. A kiss that seemed to have been as natural as breathing for both men.

That just left the man confused. Not knowing what that kiss meant was a position that he was not comfortable with.

Slowly, Freed trekked through the hallway heading towards the living room. The smell of liquor stronger now that he was at the source of it.

Bottles littered the floor and the coffee table. Some were empty while others were half full.

Guilt and disgust made Freed's stomach drop.

He was the cause of all that.

Freed made it his job to clean the entire living room. After half an hour of going back and forth from the sitting area to the kitchen with bottles the room was starting to resemble something not entirely a pig sty.

He was able to sit down to gather his thoughts when there was a loud knock on the front door.

Freed jumped up in fear, looking franticly between down the hall and the front door. Laxus was still busy in the shower. Meaning that Freed was left to his own devices as how he would greet the visitor.

Slowly, he walked on weak knees toward the door. He held his breath at the thought of some other guild member coming and demanding him to recollect his entire life.

He reached for the door handle with trembling fingers.

 _Don't be scared, no one will hurt you as long as you are with your family._ Someone said in his voice.

The sudden thought made him gasp for breath. The voice was familiar in that he had heard it before. For some reason he instantly trusted it.

His shoulders fell in a strange sort of calm. The racing of his heart slowed down and he was no longer afraid.

When he opened the door he was hit by a familiar scent of roses. Then his eyes caught site of a knight's mask.

"Freed! We didn't think that you would be the one opening the door!" A shocked voice floated to his ears.

The man in question let his eyes fall on the person responsible for the exclamation.

Evergreen was standing a few feet away from him with wide eyes. Her glasses doing nothing to hide the apprehension that he saw glowing there. Something at the back of his mind was pushing him to comfort the woman.

 _Go embrace her…_ The same voice urged.

Freed ignored it only taking a step back as a way of allowing entrance.

Bickslow taking a charge pushed Evergreen forward gently under the threshold. He threw a glance at Freed to just try and evaluate where he was at mentally.

The Possession Mage took note of the smaller man's cowering stance and the slight fear in his eyes, but he could feel the calm rolling off him. Was it forced?

When they made it to the living room everything was the same as it was when they had left earlier.

Freed closed the door softly in hopes of not disturbing the tense silence.

Evergreen turned around on her heel to inspect their environment. Freed could tell that she was trying to pick out any little thing that would give her an excuse to argue. He knew by just the way she crossed her arms over her breasts.

Bickslow also saw that. He gave her a pointed look that warned her against whatever she thought of doing.

"Now is not the time, Evergreen." He said with a tone that left no room for argument.

That was all the woman needed. Her shoulders fell with defeat, her body moving to sit on the nearest armchair.

Freed took this as a sign to move away from the door. "Laxus is washing up so it might be a while longer." He said softly.

At the sound of Freed's voice both former Thunder Legion members' jumped where they stood/sat.

Bicks was the first to break free from his shock.

"Hey, listen Freed. We just wanted to apologize about what happened earlier." He said.

Freed's eyes widened with surprise. He straightened up to catch Bickslow rubbing his face underneath his mask. Something in him felt like it was being chipped away. Like a wall over his mind and heart.

It wasn't their fault that he was in such a fragile state. Freed was the one to blame for not being able to control his emotions when he needed to.

"You both don't have to apologize. I was the one who lost control and snapped back." Freed took a step forward to break through Bickslow's personal space. "Even though I have no memory of who any of you are. Just like with Laxus, my body and my heart tell me that you're both people very important to me."

Both Evergreen and Bickslow were stunned by Freed's words. Their hearts swelled with adoration for their Captain.

Freed could hear Ever whimper off to the side.

He let his entire defense fall apart in front of the two mages. He felt his entire body begin to ache, a stringing behind his eyes warning him of tears that he really didn't want to shed.

"I don't know what's happening to me, but being around you and Laxus is making it better." He whispered. His voice broken.

Evergreen was in the verge of tears. Her heart was hurting and the unbelievable rush of emotions she was feeling were doing nothing to sooth her. She was a wreck. All she really could do at that point was get up.

She took a few long strides until she once again had her arms around Freed's neck pulling his body down in for an embrace. The tears in her eyes dried away but the feeling of sudden exasperation came back all the stronger. She held Freed tighter hoping for a stupid miracle.

"All I ask is that you don't leave us again, please…" Ever whispered against the crook of Freed's neck.

Freed was stun at first by the sudden act. He stood there stiff in Ever's arms for a long second. Then he forced himself to relax into her. His arms came to wrap around her hips in hopes of consoling her.

"I promise that I won't leave again. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting for all those years." He hoped that he sounded like the man they both remembered.

Bickslow looked at the two of them with a bitter fondness in his eyes. There was something that was just off to him. Maybe it was the fact that the man before him wasn't truly their Freed. The man before him was his own person, just like Freed had said earlier.

He only hoped that one day in the near future Freed would come back. When that day somes everything will be able go back to the way it was before Freed had stepped foot on that God forsaken train.

Behind him there came a rough voice dripping with venom. "What are you two doing in my house?"


End file.
